


Mark of the Astral

by Sehun_x_Baek



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alter Egos, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Comedy, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, I wrote this before Obsession came out but it’s just like Exo and X-Exo, Kinda dark elements and mentions of violence I guess, M/M, Modern Royalty, Reincarnation, Romance, Sebaek - Freeform, There is going to be smut but I’d rather not tag it because I’ll feel pressured by it, hunbaek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2020-06-24 09:22:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19720825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sehun_x_Baek/pseuds/Sehun_x_Baek
Summary: It spoke to him occasionally, the voice inside Baekhyun’s head. A shadow of his former life. It had always been there, the proof of it’s existence marked on Baekhyun’s hand with the symbol of the Astral. It commonly appeared on members of royalty, a luminescent star on their left hand, a confirmation of their reincarnation.Baekhyun never thought much of it, until he was betrothed to Prince Oh Sehun, another bearer of the Astral marking. Although neither of them had any opposition to getting married, and in fact were secretly happy about it, they would soon realize the danger of their engagement. It seemed their fates had collided before.





	1. Reflections

  
  
  


Baekhyun checked his appearance in the camera of his phone for the fifteenth or sixteenth time that morning. Unnecessarily fiddling with his hair for a while, he eventually shut off his phone and returned it to his lap. He decided to stare out the window instead, watching as other cars drove past him on the road.

No matter what Baekhyun did to try to calm himself down, he still felt nervous about today’s meeting. It had been two weeks since the treaty ceremony, and Baekhyun had hardly any contact with Sehun since that day. But they did manage to set up a meeting together, or rather Sehun invited Baekhyun to come to his kingdom so he could give him a tour.

It was a long drive to Sehun’s kingdom, and the wait only made Baekhyun become more and more anxious. He had hoped he would be less awkward than the first time they met, but he was starting to get doubtful that he’d be able to act normally. His new hope was that at least by the end of the evening he’d be able to relax and be more like his regular self.

Approaching the border of their kingdoms, Baekhyun spotted a small group of vehicles parked and waiting for him. His eyes landed on Sehun first, standing next to a vintage Cadillac. There was a slight breeze playing with the flaps of his partially unbuttoned shirt, and Baekhyun gulped as he admired the peek at Sehun collar bone.

Escorted by a few bodyguards, Sehun came closer to Baekhyun’s vehicle, waiting for him as the limo parked. After it stopped, Baekhyun took a deep breath before opening his door, smiling up at Sehun as he stepped out of the car. Sehun bowed courteously to him, smiling at Baekhyun as well.

“It’s nice to see you again, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun felt his cheeks getting hot, blushing hard at the sight of Sehun smiling so handsomely. He wasn’t sure how he was going to hide just how infatuated he was with the younger prince, even for just one day, much less the rest of his life. Unless Sehun was incredibly dense or naïve, he was bound to notice Baekhyun being goo-goo eyed for him at some point. That’s what made Baekhyun so uneasy, fearing the moment Sehun possibly realized how he felt.

“You don’t have to bow or anything.” Baekhyun laughed nervously, “We’re suppose to be friends, right?”

Sehun let out a warm laugh as well, “You’re right, sorry. I’m just so used to doing that.”

“I understand.” Baekhyun smiled, knowing exactly how Sehun felt. It was difficult to break away from their polished manners.

Stepping aside, Sehun motioned his arms towards his Cadillac, continuing to smile at Baekhyun, “Shall we?”

Baekhyun nodded his head, stepping forward and joining Sehun as they walked towards his car. Their bodyguards communicated with each other briefly before going their separate ways, only a few of them designated to watch over Sehun and Baekhyun for that day.

Sehun went to Baekhyun’s side of the car first, opening the door for him and smiling at Baekhyun as he waited for him to get inside. Baekhyun admired the sight of him for a moment, enjoying the romantic feeling behind the courteous gesture. With a smitten look on his face, Baekhyun carefully stepped inside the vehicle, watching as Sehun slowly shut the door for him.

Sehun spoke to his assistant shortly before joining Baekhyun in the car, quickly adjusting himself in the seat and fastening his seatbelt before he looked over at Baekhyun with another smile.

“Ready?”

“Yup.” Baekhyun answered enthusiastically, nodding his head a few times.

Looking forward again, Sehun turned the keys, slowly pushing on the gas pedal as he started the car. It was silent between them for a while as Sehun followed the directions to get back to the freeway. Baekhyun could tell by looking at the directions that it wouldn’t take too long until they were in the city.

“I’m really excited for today.” Baekhyun admitted with a bashful smile, “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course.” Sehun answered as he glanced over at Baekhyun briefly, “I figured you’d like to actually see the place you’re moving to before the wedding.”

_The wedding_. These words alone made Baekhyun’s heart stop. For some reason he hadn’t pictured the actual ceremony yet, probably to spare himself from a complete meltdown. The idea of being engaged was already overwhelming, but now his mind was flooded with thoughts of their wedding day. The image of Sehun standing at the altar, the entire world watching as they gave each other their vows, and the kiss. The kiss. Baekhyun turned beet red, this being the first time he realized that moment was inevitably going to happen.

“Are you okay?” Sehun asked, noticing that Baekhyun had suddenly become tense.

“Y-Yes, I’m fine.” Baekhyun tried to reply in the most calm manner he could, “…It’s just…It makes me a little nervous to think about the wedding.”

Sehun let out a sigh, nodding his head in agreement, “Yeah, same here.”

Baekhyun looked over at Sehun and witnessed the nervous expression on his face. It was comforting to know he wasn’t the only one feeling stressed about that day, even if it might be for completely different reasons.

“At least we won’t be alone.” Baekhyun smiled warmly, feeling better about it already.

Sehun only caught a small glimpse of Baekhyun’s expression, but it still made him feel increasingly nervous. Baekhyun looked especially pretty in that moment, his warm expression always highlighting his features in the most beautiful way. He really did look like a prince, every detail on his face was gentle and soft, as if he had been created specifically for everyone to adore. Sehun gulped, thinking that even if they always just stayed as friends, he would get to admire his beautiful face each day. That of all the people in the world, he was the lucky one to marry Baekhyun.

“That’s true. It’s a relief to know that you’ll be with me the whole time.” Sehun smiled back at him.

Baekhyun made a small hum as a reply, moving his eyes to stare down at his lap. Once more his mind drifted off into thoughts of the wedding, a little less uneasy now that he knew Sehun would probably be too nervous himself to notice why Baekhyun was freaking out.

It went quiet between them again as they sped along the highway, Sehun concentrating on a series of directions to make sure he got off on the right exit. Baekhyun stared out the window the entire time, curious to see the kingdom, despite his view being rather limited at the moment. All he could see were the tops of skyscrapers, a cluster of them gathered together in the heart of downtown.

Once they got off the highway however, his view didn’t improve much. It was restricted to the strip of buildings surrounding them, a shopping district full of restaurants with small areas for people to eat outside. After a few turns they came upon an intersection, and Sehun slowly stopped the car, waiting for the light to turn. He smiled over at Baekhyun as he reached for the radio, pressing a button to turn it on.

“Want some music? You can pick whatever you want.” He offered as he gestured Baekhyun to take control.

“Sure.” Baekhyun smiled back, extending his hand to grab the knob for the radio.

As he flipped through the different stations and listened to the music for a moment, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Sehun rolled down his window. Resting his arm on the door, he opened his palm to feel the slight breeze blowing past.

Staring at him, Baekhyun unconsciously stopped on a soft ballad, his attention wavering to Sehun’s handsome appearance instead. But the gentle music and lyrics of the song fit nicely with how Baekhyun was feeling right then, the mood so tranquil and happy. He had never felt so wonderfully normal before, just going for a drive without having to worry about a schedule or anyone escorting them around. It was just him and Sehun, like sweethearts on a date together.

Noticing that Baekhyun had picked a song, Sehun turned to look over at him with a smile, “This is nice, I like ballads like this.”

“Me too.” Baekhyun nervously answered, also enjoying it although the choice wasn’t intentional.

“We’ll be at the first stop soon.” Sehun informed him, raising his hand to run it through his hair, “What do you think so far?”

Baekhyun looked out the window again, examining the buildings and the people walking past on the sidewalk. Aside from the unfamiliar restaurants and names of businesses, it wasn't too different from his own kingdom. Maybe in the past the architecture would have been more noticeably unique, but in this modern era everything was built practically the same. Steel and concrete buildings identical to the ones Baekhyun was used to. It was more like traveling to a nearby city he had never been to before, rather than an entirely different country. Besides, Baekhyun had the opportunity to look at pictures of Sehun’s kingdom before, so it didn’t feel that foreign to him.

“It’s really similar to home.” Baekhyun answered with a smile, “I like it here.”

“Oh good.” Sehun replied with a relieved tone, lightly pushing on the pedal again as the light turned green, “I was hoping you’d feel that way. I always thought our kingdoms looked similar too.”

“Yeah, we’re pretty close to each other, so it makes sense.”

Sehun nodded his head, thinking for a moment before he spoke again, “We can still visit your kingdom too whenever you get homesick though.”  
  
  


_Isn’t that sweet_

Baekhyun heard a quiet voice, and remained silent in thought, surprised by the small sentence. It almost seemed like it was responding to Sehun’s statement, which was odd considering the voice never usually reacted to people around him before.

Sehun wondered why Baekhyun didn’t respond, and turned his head to look over at him briefly, spotting the pensive expression on Baekhyun’s face, “Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no no.” Baekhyun quickly answered as he shook his head, “I’m fine. It’s just that voice.”

“Voice?” Sehun repeated curiously, until he suddenly realized what Baekhyun meant, “Oh, you mean your past self?”

“Yes…It’s been speaking to me more often lately.”

“Really?” Sehun asked with a pique of intrigue, “That’s weird, that’s been happening to me recently too.”

Baekhyun turned to look over at Sehun, staring at him for a long moment before he answered, “That is strange…”

A sudden squeal stole their attention away from the conversation, and they both looked over to see a group of girls seated outside, all of them suddenly whipping out their phones. They began calling out Sehun’s name, saying hello to him in the most passionate way possible, waving at him with wide sweeps of their arms. Sehun smiled back at them, waving at them in a much more gentle way, causing the girls to squeal again. Baekhyun leaned forward in his seat to get a better look, also sending the girls a small wave and a smile.

For a moment it seemed as if they had frozen in place, before the volume of their screams reached an even higher level of excitement. Baekhyun’s visit was entirely unknown to the public, at least until that moment. The fact that he was not only here, but riding in the car with Sehun, was an unparalleled joy. Baekhyun laughed at their reaction, for the first time seeing it first hand. He had already witnessed the reaction online to the news. Although they were considered the most desirable bachelors in the world, it seemed that their devoted followers were more than accepting of the idea of them getting married to each other. In fact they were excessively enthusiastic about it, and it was practically impossible for Sehun and Baekhyun to miss their posts on social media. With captions like: CAN YOU BELIEVE WE’RE GOING TO SEE THESE TWO BEAUTIFULLY HANDSOME PRINCES GET MARRIED TO EACH OTHER?!?!?!?!

Baekhyun continued waving happily at them all as Sehun slowly drove past the restaurant, watching as the girls jumped up out of their seats. They started to run after the car, only able to keep up with it for a short while until they were out of view.

“It’s a relief that everyone is so excited about this.” Baekhyun laughed again, looking over at Sehun, “I was worried they’d be upset, especially about you.”

“Why me?” Sehun asked with a curious raise of his eyebrow.

“You’re just so popular, I thought they might be mad at me for taking you away.”

Sehun glanced at Baekhyun briefly before putting his eyes back on the road, giving him a quick look of bemusement, “You’re really popular too. I thought for sure people were going to be furious at me.”

Baekhyun let out another warm laugh, “Well, it’s a good thing they’re not. It seems our parents were right, people are responding well with our kingdoms joining together this way.”

Sehun nodded his head, “You don’t have any secret lovers that are going to come after me though, do you?”

Baekhyun laughed louder this time, shaking his head, “No, I don’t.”

“Good.” Sehun laughed as well, “Did your parents threaten you about that too?”

“About dating someone?” Baekhyun asked curiously.

“Yes, they made sure I understood that even though our marriage isn’t about love, that a secret relationship with someone else wouldn’t be tolerated.”

“Oh, yes.” Baekhyun answered, remembering his own lecture, “They had a talk with me too.”

Sehun glanced over at Baekhyun out the corner of his eye, trying to see the expression on his face. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Baekhyun didn’t seem bothered by the rule at all, and in fact actually seemed happy at the moment.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t have to break up with anyone.” Sehun replied warmly, relieved to know that Baekhyun wasn’t holding onto any bitter feelings.

“What about you?” Baekhyun asked, suddenly realizing that Sehun may have been hinting at his own situation.

“Same as you.” Sehun smiled, “Don’t worry.”

Baekhyun watched as Sehun reached for his sunglasses, brushing his hair out if his face to put them on, looking in the rear view mirror as he did so. Baekhyun glanced at the mirror as well, catching a small glimpse at Sehun’s reflection. Just as Baekhyun had often seen with himself, Sehun’s appearance altered for a small moment, his jet black hair desaturating to a lighter shade, turning a pale silver. It was too fast to get a look at his eyes before they were covered with sunglasses, but it made Baekhyun suddenly wonder what kind of expression they might hold. If they looked as dark and intimidating as his own.

Shifting his eyes to stare down at the star on Sehun’s left hand, he became lost in thought again. He wanted to know more about what Sehun had heard over the years, what things his voice had told him.

Suddenly Sehun leaned closer to him, lowering his head to look out Baekhyun’s window and point at one of the landmarks. Baekhyun blushed at the feeling of Sehun’s body pressed against his own, and the soft sound of Sehun’s voice as he explained where they were.

“Over there is a statue of the first king. There’s a legend that on one random night every year, his ghost can be seen roaming around the statue.”

“Really?” Baekhyun smiled, loving local myths like this, “Do people claim to have seen him?”

“Yeah, lots of people do.” Sehun laughed, leaning back in his seat again, “My brother swears he saw it once, but he’s always enjoyed scaring me.”

Baekhyun quickly turned his head, continuing to smile at Sehun, “Are you scared of ghosts?”

Sehun sighed as he nodded his head, “Yes. I snuck into Chanyeol’s bed at night a lot when we were kids…It doesn’t help that so many ghost stories usually include castles.”

Baekhyun laughed lightly, finding it funny that Sehun was afraid of ghosts, considering that there was technically a ghost living inside Sehun at all times, “That’s cute.”

“What about you?” Sehun asked with a bashful smile, “Do you have any phobias?”

“Ummm…” Baekhyun hummed for a short while as he tried to remember, until it looked as though a lightbulb suddenly lit above his head, “Bugs!”

“Bugs?” Sehun repeated curiously, “All bugs?”

“Yes, they’re so gross.” Baekhyun shivered even as he thought about it.

“I guess I’ll have to be your bug squasher then.” Sehun laughed.

“Please.” Baekhyun sighed in relief, “And I can keep you company at night.”

Before Baekhyun even finished his sentence, he was already blushing at his own words. He scolded himself for blurting that out so carelessly, hoping that it didn’t make Sehun feel uncomfortable.

“Thank you.” Was Sehun’s simple answer, the smile still on his face only making Baekhyun blush harder. He wondered if Sehun was being serious, if he was fine with Baekhyun staying with him at night. Now that he thought of it, he wondered what their sleeping arrangement would even be. Since they were getting married, were they going to share a bedroom…or even the same bed?

Starting the car again, Sehun made his way towards the next location, oblivious to how flustered Baekhyun had become. He remained ignorant of it the entire ride, making frequent stops to point out anything of interest in the city, often leaning over in his seat and getting closer to Baekhyun. Baekhyun slowly became more and more used to it, although it still made him blush each time.

They only got out of the car a few times, since catching the attention of the public was a little burdensome. However, the citizens were well behaved and respected their space, keeping their distance to gawk at them from afar. Still, they couldn’t help shouting in excitement as they watched them, and Sehun wanted to limit the amount of screaming Baekhyun heard throughout his tour. They went to a museum and a few other significant locations before having lunch, a quiet restaurant with a special area reserved for just the two of them.

Just like before, Sehun went to Baekhyun’s seat first, pulling out his chair for him. Baekhyun smiled as he sat down, wondering how many times throughout their marriage Baekhyun would get to experience Sehun pampering him like this.

As they ate, Sehun told Baekhyun the plan of where they were going next. Since time was already running short, Sehun wanted to make a few more stops before ending the evening with a tour of the castle, and then having dinner there with the rest of his family. Realizing they didn’t have a ton of time left, Baekhyun tried to eat his lunch quickly.

“I bet everyone online is going crazy about our date together today.” Sehun laughed warmly after swallowing a bite of food.

The word date made Baekhyun choke on his food a little, but thankfully he was able to recover without Sehun noticing.

“I’m sure they are.” Baekhyun laughed as well.

“Should we post a picture?” Sehun asked, suddenly reaching for his phone.

Baekhyun immediately nodded his head in agreement, his already happy expression getting brighter, “Sure.”

Sehun scooted his chair closer to Baekhyun, and Baekhyun felt a sudden shock as he wrapped his arm around his shoulder. Baekhyun’s heart continued pounding as he made a shy smile, watching as Sehun held out the phone, soon taking a photo. Staring at Sehun’s screen, he read the tags Sehun added to the post, including #DateWithMyFiance and #RomanticTour. Sehun laughed once he was done, looking over at Baekhyun.

“Sorry, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.” Baekhyun smiled, his heart still beating rapidly.

Sehun tucked his phone away to continue eating, and Baekhyun was pleased that Sehun didn’t bother to scoot his chair away. Staying close, they ate the rest of their meal, occasionally making small talk with each other about the food and the places they had already visited that day.

After they were done, they resumed their tour, making a few more stops before finally arriving at the castle. Baekhyun admired it as they stopped the car, finding it even more impressive than the numerous photos he had seen of it. Once again, Sehun made sure to get out of the car first before opening Baekhyun’s door for him. Walking together, they were escorted by a group of guards as they made their way towards the entrance.

They only wandered around for a short while before they were approached by the King and Queen. Baekhyun talked with them briefly, expressing how nice it was to see them again and how much he enjoyed traveling around their kingdom. After telling a few stories of their tour that day, the King and Queen eventually had to excuse themselves.

Sehun lead Baekhyun through the many rooms of the castle, and Baekhyun admired the splendor of it all despite being accustomed to this kind of environment. Making their way up the stairs, they wandered down a few corridors before coming upon the Great Chamber.

“This is my room.” Sehun mentioned as he motioned his arm towards one of the doors, “Would you like to see it?”

“I would.” Baekhyun smiled, honestly curious to see where he might be staying as well, that is if they ended up sharing a room.

Sehun grabbed the doorknob, opening it slowly as he invited Baekhyun inside with another gesture of his hand. Baekhyun stepped through the large doorway, entering Sehun’s room with a curious expression on his face. He was greeted with an expansive and lavishly decorated room, or rather a collection of rooms that were connected to each other. There was a few dividing walls to define the separate spaces, but the entranceways were large enough that it was easy to see the other rooms.

The first room Baekhyun entered was the seating area, decorated with a few opulent sofas and chairs, placed in front of a massive marble fireplace. He could see into two other rooms from this spot as well: the bedroom, and what appeared to be a personal library. Aside from these, there was a door that was currently shut, which Baekhyun assumed must have been a bathroom.

It was extremely similar to Baekhyun’s own bedroom, including the amount of rooms and ornate style. The only striking difference was Sehun’s actual belongings, which Baekhyun quickly noticed consisted of many Bichon themed collectables. There were pillows, blankets, and other decorative items all depicting the fluffy dog. Remembering Sehun’s pet Vivi and his amount of love for him, Baekhyun was unfazed by the decor. After all, he had seen Sehun wearing clothing before that had emblems of the dog as well, along with the numerous posts Sehun made online including his beloved royal pet.

“Where is Vivi?” Baekhyun suddenly asked with a smile, turning to look at Sehun.

Sehun stared back at Baekhyun in surprise, not expecting him to already know the name of his dog. Processing Sehun’s expression, Baekhyun quickly felt his stomach drop, realizing that he had divulged a little too much knowledge of Sehun’s personal life.

“He’s at the salon.” Sehun answered happily, “I guess you already know about him. You’re not allergic to dogs or anything, are you?”

“No.” Baekhyun replied nervously, “I love dogs.”

Sehun’s smile became softer, relief painted in his features as he let out a small exhaling breath, “Good. I’m sure he’ll love you too.”

Baekhyun nodded happily before briskly turned around, continuing to wander through Sehun’s room, hoping to end the discussion there. Luckily, Sehun didn’t question why Baekhyun already knew about Vivi, to the point of so easily recalling his name.

After taking a tour of the other rooms, they entered the bedroom last. Baekhyun admired the craftsmanship of the wooden bed frame and the intricate designs carved throughout the entire piece. Staring at the silk sheets and large copy hanging over the bed, Baekhyun wondered again if this would become his bed as well. Gulping nervously, Baekhyun tried to think of the best way to ask. He didn’t want to scare Sehun from the idea, but he wanted to bring it up as an option before it was too late.

“Do you think…when I move here…” Baekhyun started, turning slowly towards Sehun as he spoke, “…that we wi-“

Baekhyun suddenly halted, his words frozen in his throat. His entire body went stiff, his eyes wide as he stared at Sehun standing beside him. To his astonishment, the warmth in Sehun’s eyes had suddenly disappeared, and his hair had turned a light shade of silver.

“…You’re…” Baekhyun trembled, watching a dark smile grow on Sehun’s lips, “…You’re Sehun’s other…”

Baekhyun’s mind was racing. It couldn’t be. It was impossible. He had never heard of this happening before. Their past selves were just a voice, nothing more. Just a reflection in the mirror. A forgotten memory of the past.

And yet, Sehun stepped closer to Baekhyun, looking down at him with piercing eyes. Slowly lifting his hand, he reached forward to hold Baekhyun’s face, making Baekhyun shiver from his touch. Baekhyun stared back at him with an anxious expression, unsure of what to expect. He could see the same darkness in his expression that Baekhyun had witnessed so many times with his own reflection.

“…It really is you.” Sehun spoke quietly, staring deeply into Baekhyun’s eyes. He remained still for a long moment, his expression becoming colder with each passing second.

Baekhyun gulped, feeling a nervous pound in his heart as Sehun said those words, “…You know me?”

Sehun lowered his hand, his expression dimming further as he kept his gaze locked with Baekhyun’s. He didn’t answer, as if he were lost in his own thoughts, trailing off into a distant memory.

“Have we met before?” Baekhyun repeated, his voice starting to tremble.

A smile suddenly grew on Sehun’s lips again, relishing in Baekhyun’s expression before he let out a cold sounding laugh, “You’ve changed.”

Baekhyun opened his mouth to speak again, but was only able to let out a small gasp before Sehun shoved him back onto the bed. He bounced on the mattress for a moment, before Sehun held him down. Pinned against the sheets, Baekhyun stared up at Sehun hovering over him, the same dark smile remaining on his lips.

“I could get used to that terrified look on your face.” Sehun spoke quietly, admiring Baekhyun a moment more, “That alone makes all this time worth it.”

“…W-What are you talking about…” Baekhyun whimpered, struggling a little to escape but soon realizing that it was futile.

Sehun sunk closer to him, speaking in a deep voice as his mouth lingered near Baekhyun’s ear, “I can’t decide which is better…When you’re frightened like this…Or when you’re blushing as you stare at me.”

Baekhyun suddenly froze, mortified by the observation. Was it that obvious? Had Sehun noticed it as well? Could Sehun hear what they were saying right now?

“Tell me, _Baekhyun_.” Sehun whispered, moving his hands to caress Baekhyun’s sides, “You like me, don’t you?”

Baekhyun couldn’t answer, his heart pounding as he felt Sehun grip onto his waist, pressing their bodies together. Even though he was frightened, he couldn’t help enjoying the feeling of Sehun’s hands grabbing onto him. He bit down onto his lip, trying to prevent any embarrassing sounds from escaping. Sehun watched him, noticing the conflicting look in Baekhyun’s eyes. It made him smile again, the confirmation to his question written on Baekhyun’s face.

“I can’t think of a better revenge than this.” Sehun chuckled coldly, “I bet Boseong is too ashamed to show his face.”

“Boseong?” Baekhyun finally spoke, unfamiliar with that name.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted their conversation, and Baekhyun stared over at it anxiously, listening as Sehun’s assistant spoke to them from the other side.

“Your highness, dinner is being served now.”

Nervously looking up again, Baekhyun waited for Sehun’s reaction, watching as he suddenly winced, almost as if he were in pain. Covering his eyes with his hand, the silver shade of his hair began to fade, returning to it’s dark black. Remaining still for a long while, Sehun eventually removed the hand from his eyes, the familiar warmth behind them making Baekhyun sigh in relief.

“Baekhyun?” He asked in confusion, snapping his hand away from Baekhyun’s waist, “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Your highness?” The assistant called out again, knocking on the door once more.

“I’m fine.” Baekhyun responded quickly, “Answer your assistant first.”

Sehun struggled for a moment, staring at Baekhyun with concern and then at the door, “…Thank you. We’ll be down in a minute.”

“Yes Sir.” The assistant answered, bowing to the door before he left, despite Sehun’s inability to see him.

Looking back over at Baekhyun, Sehun carefully crawled off of him, apologizing as he did so. Once he was standing, he extended his hand to Baekhyun to help him up as well. Baekhyun grasped onto it, thanking him as he rose from the bed.

“Did we fall? I don’t remember anything.” Sehun admitted with concern.

Baekhyun hesitated a moment, staring back at Sehun with an uneasy expression, “…I don’t know how it’s possible…but suddenly when I looked at you, you had silver hair.”

Sehun reached up to his hair, feeling it between his fingers, “You mean like in our reflections?”

Baekhyun nodded quickly, “Yes. I think…I think you reverted to your past self.”

Sehun’s eyes widened a little, a shocked look remaining on his face as he spoke, “What?”

“You were saying a lot of strange things…” Baekhyun paused between speaking, reluctant to tell Sehun just how frightened he was, “…I think we used to know each other.”

“Really?” Sehun smiled at this, finding joy in the thought of knowing Baekhyun in his past life as well.

“But…”

Baekhyun’s voice slowly faded, finding it difficult to continue. The last thing he wanted was for this to interfere with their marriage. The smile on Sehun’s face suddenly disappeared once he noticed how uncomfortable Baekhyun was, and he reached out to hold onto Baekhyun’s arm, rubbing it softly.

“Are you all right?”

Baekhyun nodded a few times, looking up into Sehun’s eyes for a moment before he spoke, “You said something about getting revenge.”

“Revenge?” Sehun repeated, his voice becoming heavy with concern again.

“Yes. I’m not really sure what you were talking about, but I don’t think we were on good terms with each other.”

Sehun lowered his eyes, thinking back on the whispers he heard in his head during these past few weeks. It was unmistakable now, that the irritated comments were directed towards Baekhyun. Ever since the decision for the engagement was introduced, his past self had been a lot more displeased than usual.

“Please don’t tell anyone about this.” Baekhyun suddenly pleaded, “At least not yet. I’d hate if this caused any problems with the treaty.”

Sehun shifted his eyes to look at Baekhyun again, quickly nodding his head in agreement, “I won’t. I don’t want any issues with the treaty either. We should wait until after the wedding to talk to anyone about it.”

Rubbing Baekhyun’s arm with his hand again, Sehun stared at Baekhyun with a comforting expression, “But you tell me if you ever feel like you’re in danger. Your safety is more important than anything else.”

Baekhyun nodded, withholding the fact that he had already been concerned for his safety. He was determined to make sure the wedding happened, even if it meant hiding this information from Sehun as well.

“Come on, let’s go eat.” Sehun smiled weakly, at last lowering his hand from Baekhyun’s arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished it!!! I hope it was worth the wait >.< As I’ve said before, I really struggled writing this chapter and I ended up deleting a lot of it before writing completely different scenes instead. I really really hope it was entertaining though, I tried my best T^T
> 
> Also, the Sebaek Fic Fest is finally underway if you haven’t heard about it yet! I submitted a fic for it, and there are lots of other amazing Sebaek fics to read as well!! I can’t reveal which one is mine yet, but you should defintiely go check it out!!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sebaekround1


	2. The Stars Begin to Awake

“Echoing moonlight, a forgotten lullaby.  
I stare up at the stars,  
who whisper their lingering memories.  
They fall asleep to the song of clouds and faint light.  
Gently, the flowers are painted with sunshine.  
Vibrant blue skies mirror the sea,  
as the waves of cloud and ocean mimic their reflection.  
Dancing life enjoys the song of day,  
knowing the moon's shadow is soon to come.  
The stars begin to awake,  
as I fall asleep with the fading sun.”

Baekhyun spoke slowly and softly, his voice causing a soothing affect to everyone that was listening to him. Once he was finished reading the poem, he looked up from his book to see the children’s reaction. They were all staring at him with awe on their faces, although it wasn’t the poem that affected them so much. It was Baekhyun’s presence alone that made them so excited. They were far too young to understand the complexity of Baekhyun’s words, but their minds were fully capable of grasping that Baekhyun was a prince. Not only this, but they couldn’t stop staring at the glowing symbol on Baekhyun’s left hand.

Baekhyun smiled at their delighted expressions, knowing the reason for their fascination. He was used to children acting this way around him, and always getting the same questions about the pretty star on his hand.

“Can anyone tell me what this poem is about?” Baekhyun asked in a gentle voice, glancing at each of the children.

It might have been over the children’s heads, but it was an important poem, and one that was taught often in school. It was deeply connected with their history, containing a variety of hidden meanings and ways to interpret it. 

“Stars!” One of them immediately shouted, “Like the one on your hand!”

Baekhyun laughed lightly, unsurprised by the child’s single minded view, “That’s right. It’s about the cycle of day and night, which includes stars too.”

“Can I see it?” A young girl asked, seeming anxious to get closer to Baekhyun, crawling a little across the carpet as she stared at his hand.

Baekhyun gently set down his book, getting off his stool so he could sit down on the floor next to the children. The sound of cameras snapping rapidly filled the room, all of the reporters desperate to capture the tender moment. They watched as Baekhyun held out his hand, allowing the children to get a good look at it.

The star had always been a treasured symbol, and the marking on Baekhyun’s hand was considered a blessing. It was proof that he was a reincarnation of an Astral, an ancient and powerful race that existed many centuries ago. It only appeared on members of royalty, so it wasn’t a surprise the children had never seen it before.

They instantly huddled around Baekhyun, pushing against each other to get a better view. The sound of awe escaped their lips, mesmerized by the faint luminescence of the star on Baekhyun’s skin. The reporters couldn’t help laughing as they continued taking photos, amused by their adorable excitement.

“Did you want to learn something fun about stars?” Baekhyun asked, realizing this was the only topic the children cared about right then.

“Yeah!” They all shouted enthusiastically.

Baekhyun smiled again, lowering his hand and resting it against his thigh. He recalled the words he had been taught repeatedly since he was a child, a fact that Baekhyun had always found very interesting. 

“Stars are really far away from us, sometimes even millions of light years away. And that means their light takes a really long time to reach us.” Baekhyun tried to explain simply, although he knew the children still probably didn’t really understand, “…It can take so long, that when it’s light finally gets here, the star itself could already be gone. But we still see it’s light, even though the star disappeared a long time ago.”

The children’s confused expressions were answer enough to Baekhyun’s statement, and the reporters burst out into gentle laughter again.

“So whenever we look up at the stars, we’re actually looking into the past.” Baekhyun continued, regardless of their lack of comprehension, “Isn’t that cool?”

They all slowly nodded, pretending as if they understood what Baekhyun said. They certainly didn’t realize there was even a tidbit about this fact in the poem Baekhyun had just read to them, or that it had to do with the symbol on Baekhyun’s hand as well.

The children continued to ask a few more questions pertaining to Baekhyun’s hand, the sound of cameras never ceasing in the background. After a little while, Baekhyun’s royal assistant spoke to the teacher, informing her that Baekhyun had another engagement to attend. Understanding that Baekhyun needed to leave, she approached the group of children.

“All right everyone, it’s time to say goodbye to Prince Baekhyun now.” Their teacher spoke cautiously, waving her hand in a farewell gesture as she spoke.

The children all whined, unwilling to say goodbye just yet. In just a short amount of time, they had become very fond of Baekhyun, not only for his pretty star. Baekhyun always had a good appeal with children, his warm personality and gentle appearance making him easy to connect with. 

“Here, let’s take a picture together first.” Baekhyun smiled, gesturing the children to come closer.

The children quickly obliged, smiling as well as they got closer to Baekhyun. Looking over at the cameras, Baekhyun suggested that they should all make a heart with their fingers. Copying Baekhyun, they held out their hands, their fingers making miniature hearts. 

“Say cheeeeeeese.” Baekhyun spoke with an exaggerated smile, making the children all giggle.

The cameras started snapping rapidly again as the children continued smiling, still holding out their hearts. After a few more poses, Baekhyun spoke to them quietly to say goodbye. They watched with pouting faces as Baekhyun stood up off the floor, carefully adjusting his clothes now that he was standing again. 

The teacher sat down with the children as Baekhyun started to leave, watching as Baekhyun gave them all a happy wave. Walking through the mass of cameras, Baekhyun left the classroom along with his assistant and a few guards. The sound of snapping cameras continued to follow him, more reporters waiting for him outside. It wasn’t until Baekhyun climbed into his limo that the sound finally stopped.

After getting situated in the car, Baekhyun took a deep breath, relaxing in his seat. Looking outside, he could see the children in the window of their classroom, all of them waving in excitement to Baekhyun. Baekhyun waved back, smiling again as the limo started to drive off. The vision of the school slowly disappeared, a wall of trees soon passing the window as Baekhyun continued looking outside.

“The King and Queen would like to have a meeting with you.” His assistant spoke as he typed something quickly on his phone.

Baekhyun stared at his assistant curiously for a moment, he didn’t remember a meeting with his parents being on his schedule for that day.

“Right now?”

“Yes, apparently it’s urgent.” The assistant answered as he glanced up from his phone, “It’s concerning the treaty with the Obsidian Kingdom.”

Baekhyun’s eyebrows raised in curiosity, “Does it seem like good news?”

“Yes, I believe so.” 

A small smile appeared on Baekhyun’s lips, relieved that everything was still going smoothly. After a long history of tension and war between the Obsidian and Cerulean thrones, their saga of conflict was finally coming to an end. For the last few years the two nations had been making peaceful negotiations with each other, until at last a treaty was proposed. 

It was still in the process of being made, but Baekhyun looked forward to the day it was finally signed. If everything continued to go according to plan, the ceremony would be taking place in only a few weeks. 

Among the many benefits of the treaty, the boundary between their nations would be extinguished, and the citizens from either kingdom would be allowed to travel freely between the two lands. Until that day, the only glimpse anyone had of the other kingdom was through photographs and videos found online. There was no block on these images, but the curiosity they inspired was insatiable.

The members of both royal families never had the chance of meeting each other before, but that would soon change at the treaty ceremony.

Watching his assistant type furiously on his phone for a while, Baekhyun decided to do the same, passing the long drive home checking on the current news. He wondered if there would be any kind of hint about his parent’s abrupt meeting.

After searching for a short while though, he realized there wasn’t any new information pertaining to the treaty. Instead, Baekhyun found a large number of similar hashtags trending, all of them related to Prince Oh Sehun.

Baekhyun stared at the hashtag #OurStunningPrinceSehun for a small moment, wondering what Sehun had done this time, his name unsurprisingly appearing frequently in the top trending category. Due to his royal status and extremely handsome appearance, Sehun was considered one of the most desirable bachelors in the world, aside from Baekhyun himself. Any little thing Sehun did was treated with utmost importance by his devoted followers, the opportunity to swoon over him for the minutest of events was something they never missed.

Clicking on the tag, it didn’t take long to discover that Sehun had simply gone out to a restaurant with his friends. Even so, Sehun was looking particularly handsome, dressed in his sharp attire like usual, his hair down in a casual style that gave him a soft appearance. He was smiling warmly, laughing about something one of his friends had said.

Holding his finger down on the image, Baekhyun quickly saved the photo. 

Maybe it was because Sehun was another bearer of the Astral marking like himself that Baekhyun first became so fascinated with him, but just like the rest of the world, Baekhyun fell victim to Sehun’s handsome appearance. It happened slowly over time, his fascination eventually turning into infatuation. For a number of years now Baekhyun had been following the younger prince’s life, and already had a few (or more than a few) photos of Sehun saved on his phone.

Aside from peace between their two kingdoms, Sehun was the main reason Baekhyun was looking forward to the treaty. During the ceremony he would finally have the chance to meet him. He couldn’t wait to see him in person, each day until that moment seeming painstakingly slow.  
  
  


Baekhyun walked down the hall of the castle to reach the meeting area, passing a few guards before going through the door. Inside the elegantly decorated room was a long table, able to seat around fifty people. On the wall was a large painting, a portrait of a King and Queen from a distant time in the past. Banners hung on the walls as well, embroidered with the crest of the Cerulean Kingdom, a symbol of the sun.

Baekhyun took a seat at his appointed spot, next to his older sister. Ever since he was young, he always sat in this same seat during these important meetings. Getting situated in his chair, Baekhyun smiled over at his sister, greeting her quietly before the meeting began.

“Do you know what this is about?” His sister Yoomi asked, seeming just as clueless as Baekhyun was.

“No, but I heard it was probably good news.” Baekhyun assured her, noticing she looked a little tense.

“Oh good.” She sighed, placing her hand on her cheek in relief, “I was getting worried.”

Just then the King and Queen entered the room, a few guards shutting the door behind them to leave the family in privacy. They strolled towards the table slowly, their arms remaining interlocked until they took a seat at the head of the table. Their mother gave them both a smile, reaching out to hold Baekhyun’s hand across the table, squeezing it gently.

“Sorry to drag you both here all of a sudden.” She spoke softly, looking back and forth between them both, “But we have an important matter to discuss with you.”

“Is everything all right?” Yoomi questioned, still wanting to make sure there was nothing to be concerned about.

“Yes, everything is still going very well. You don’t need to worry.” The King replied to her, “The Obsidian Kingdom is just as enthusiastic as we are about our peaceful future.”  
“Then what is this about?” Baekhyun asked curiously, watching as his mother let go of his hand.

“Well…As we were discussing the terms of the treaty, an idea came to us that would help symbolize the unity between our nations.” The Queen spoke slowly as she stared into her children’s eyes, “An act that would solidify our peaceful intentions in the minds of our people, something they could see with their own eyes and feel assured that there will be no more conflict between our kingdoms.”

“What kind of act?” Baekhyun replied, starting to get concerned with his mother’s roundabout way of answering. She usually did this when she had something to share that she knew they might not like, spending extra time to convince them it was a good thing before they were aware of what it was.

The Queen went silent for a short while, reaching for her husbands hand underneath the table to hold onto it gently. In her mind, it was a great idea, and she saw little trouble with it. Maybe if she had been more involved in her children’s upbringing she would feel more considerate about the situation, but that was not the case.

“Matrimony.” The Queen smiled brightly, “Between our two families.”

Baekhyun stared back at her blankly, suddenly feeling his heart sink. There was very few options for a marriage, since the Obsidian family only had sons. Baekhyun didn’t even want to imagine the possibilities, knowing his sister was going to marry one of the princes of the Obsidian Throne.

“An arranged marriage?” Yoomi raised her eyebrows in discomfort, “Isn’t that a bit old fashioned?”

“Yes, a little, but this is a special exception.” The King interrupted, “A union between the two Astrals of our kingdoms will have a deep impact on our people, showing that we can abandon the dark history between our opposing bloodlines.”

“The two…Astrals.” Baekhyun repeated slowly, the meaning behind those words too wonderful for him to immediately grasp. It seemed like a crazy dream, something only his mind would create.

“That’s right, you and Prince Sehun.” The Queen smiled again as she stared at Baekhyun, “It might be a little odd for you since both of you are men, but that’s just how fate turned out. Arranged marriages like this are never meant to be romantic anyway, everyone knows it’s a political arrangement.”

Baekhyun remained silent for a long moment, still having a difficult time believing that this was actually happening. He wasn’t sure what to say, not wanting to seem too excited about it all, even though he was internally screaming in joy.

“Has the Obsidian Kingdom agreed to this already?” Yoomi asked, the tone in her voice indicating how strange she found this to be.

“They have, but they are waiting for Baekhyun’s reply before we make any official plans. After all, Baekhyun is an Astral.” The King responded before glancing over at Baekhyun, “We can’t force you to do this. But I hope you’ll consider the benefits of this arrangement.”

Despite his parents being the King and Queen, they lacked authority over the important decisions in Baekhyun’s life. Their high status did not overthrow Baekhyun’s rank as an Astral, something that was held in the upmost regard. Although Baekhyun’s mother was an Astral as well, she still could not dictate Baekhyun’s life. All Astrals were treated equally, even amongst themselves. Baekhyun’s parents didn’t even view him as their son, but rather that they had been blessed with giving life to a beloved Astral.

“What do you say Baekhyun?” The Queen asked, reaching for Baekhyun’s hand again, “You understand how meaningful it will be, don’t you?” 

Baekhyun looked back and forth between his parent’s pleading expressions, only hesitating a brief moment more before answering, “I will be happy to.”  
  
  


It was raining outside when Sehun eventually returned home, his outing with his friends cut short by the unfortunate weather. As he pulled up in front of the castle, he spotted a few guards waiting for him, holding onto a pair of umbrellas to make sure he wouldn’t get wet. Sehun stopped his car near them, leaving the keys in the ignition for the valet.

Ever since he obtained a license, he preferred driving in his own car instead of being shuffled around in a limo. He found it to be relaxing, and sometimes would go on long drives for no other purpose than going for a ride. He had a special fondness for classic cars, and the majority of his vehicles were vintage models, the one he was driving right then being no exception.

Stepping out of the car, the guards held the umbrellas over his head, and Sehun watched as the valet quickly jumped in the car to park it in a more secure location. Walking towards the castle, the guards stayed by his side, keeping him dry until he was under the protection of the covered entranceway. As Sehun was leaving, the guards made a few announcements on their radios, letting the personnel inside know that Sehun was home.

The message must have traveled quickly, because once he was inside, he noticed his assistant hurrying towards him. It seemed like he had something important to tell him.

“Is something wrong?” Sehun asked, stopping as his assistant came to stand in front of him.

“No, everything is fine.” He answered a little winded, “But the King and Queen have been waiting for you. They’re having a meeting right now with Prince Chanyeol.”

Before Sehun could ask about it further, the assistant was already turning around, inviting Sehun to follow him. Sehun didn’t bother inquiring more as they walked towards the meeting room together, knowing that he would find out the reason for the gathering soon enough.

Leaving his assistant behind, Sehun entered the room, discovering his parents and his brother already in the midst of a conversation. Similar to Baekhyun’s castle, the meeting room was fitted with a large table, but the shape of it was round. The entire room was circular, with the design of the moon painted on the ceiling, the crest of the Obsidian Kingdom.

“Sehun, there you are.” The Queen smiled, “Come sit down, we have some interesting news.”

Sehun quickly took a seat, staring at his parents curiously, “What is it?”

“We’ve just received an offer from the Cerulean Kingdom, pertaining to our treaty.”

“An offer?” Sehun asked, looking over at Chanyeol to see if he knew any more about this. But Chanyeol only shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn’t know what it was either.

“Yes, they believe it will help solidify the unity of our two nations.” The Queen answered in excitement, obviously anxious to tell them both what was going on, “They’ve offered Prince Baekhyun’s hand in marriage!”

There was an awkward moment of silence as they both took in the information. They felt like they might have heard her wrong.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol repeated in confusion, “…But he’s a guy. They have a princess right?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point. This is an arrangement between Astrals, a gesture that will surely resonate with the people.”

“Astrals?” Chanyeol laughed as he looked over at his younger brother, “So you mean Sehun?”

Sehun sat silently still, his face slowly growing into a troubled expression. But it wasn’t for the reason his family might think. Sehun was very familiar with who Baekhyun was, and had always viewed him as someone of high esteem, even beyond his royal status. Baekhyun was well known for his kindness, beauty, cheerful personality, and extreme talent. These were all qualities that Sehun admired, and as far as he was concerned, Baekhyun was well out of his league. Not to mention that Baekhyun was older than him, even if it was only a small gap, it still made Sehun feel a little intimidated.

“But…” Sehun stammered, feeling shy about this already, “Is he okay with it?”

“Yes, they requested his approval first.” The Queen smiled, “We’re going to need yours as well.”

Chanyeol covered his face as he started chuckling again, trying not to laugh to loudly at the table. Even though he had been raised as a prince, Chanyeol was never able to let go of his exaggerated reactions. Sehun glared over at him, watching as Chanyeol struggled to stay quiet.

“I can’t imagine a better way to illustrate the union between our kingdoms.” the Queen continued, ignoring Chanyeol’s amusement, “Like joining our past and future together.”

Sehun recognized the tone in his mother’s voice, if he didn’t answer her soon, she would go off on a long rant. When she felt passionate about something, she had the tendency to spill her heart out about it.

“I’ll do it.” Sehun interrupted before she could say more.

“Wonderful!” She exclaimed with an excited clap of her hands, “I’ll inform the Cerulean Kingdom at once!”

This caused Chanyeol to laugh louder, losing his already weak hold on his composure. Sehun didn’t bother holding back anymore, and hit his brother’s arm to try and shut him up. But it didn’t help, Chanyeol was far too amused. He was the only one in their family who knew about Sehun’s orientation. He couldn’t wait to see how awkward things would become.  
  
  


Baekhyun adjusted the coat of his blue uniform, fiddling with the bits of chain hanging from his shoulder. He knew they had a habit of getting tangled, but right then, Baekhyun was fixing them as an attempt to settle his nerves more than anything else.

The day had finally come. The Cerulean and Obsidian thrones were gathering together to sign the treaty. But more than that, Baekhyun was feeling extremely anxious to meet Sehun, who was now officially his fiancé.

He still couldn’t believe it was real. After all the years he had admired and followed the younger prince, they were actually going to get married. Sehun was going to be his husband. Even just the thought of it made Baekhyun’s heart stop. He just hoped he wouldn’t be too obvious with his feelings once they finally met face to face.

Moving onto the large bow wrapped around his neck, Baekhyun looked over at the mirror to make sure it was tied neatly. Tugging on it lightly, he glanced up to look at his face. Staring closely at his own reflection in the glass, he watched as the image flickered for a brief moment, an alternate appearance of his face flashing in the glass. 

Baekhyun was anticipating it, accustomed to this face appearing whenever he looked into a mirror. His hair became pale like starlight, and his eyes brewed with a dangerous expression. Once it faded, Baekhyun’s raven hair returned, along with the gentle feeling of his eyes.

Looking away from the mirror, Baekhyun glanced down at his left hand, staring at the luminescent star on his skin. Although it was considered a blessing, the fear once associated with this symbol was hardly ever mentioned. Or how terrifying the power of the Astrals actually was.

Their blood still flowed within members of royalty across the world, maintaining their position of power for countless generations. For as long as history had been recorded, Astrals had always been seated on the throne.

Ordinary humans couldn’t compete with their strength, and were forced to surrender to their rule. Not all of them were cruel, but many Astrals abused their power, and subjected the people to their terrifying reign.

But with each passing generation, their power began to dwindle. As they continued to mingle with ordinary humans, the strength of their blood slowly disintegrated, until they lost their powers altogether. The only evidence of their lineage was the marking that would sometimes appear on members of royalty. 

Even in the days when Astrals still had their power, these same markings would appear on their hand. Their strength resided not only in their blood, but in their spirit as well. Although their blood had lost it’s potency, the longevity of their spirit could never diminish. They would continue to reincarnate, until at last they chose to stop the cycle themselves.

Baekhyun was a reflection of his former self, his spirit and appearance the same to that of the past. Even so, he had no memories of his previous life. The only glimpse he had of his preceding existence was the faint whispers he sometimes heard in his head. The star on his hand allowed him to hear it, his long lost memories locked within it’s marking.

But the words he heard were often incomprehensible, the message failing to make any sense to him. It was as if Baekhyun had been spilt into two separate consciousnesses, his previous self similar to another person living inside him.

Staring at the star, Baekhyun would often wonder what his other life was like. He couldn’t imagine himself being a cruel person, but the cold expression he saw in his reflection concerned him. Still, Baekhyun realized it didn’t really matter what he used to be like. It was all in the past now. What mattered more was how he acted in the present.

Tugging at his clothes one last time, Baekhyun nodded to himself in the mirror, finally feeling ready to attend the ceremony, and to meet Prince Sehun.  
  
  


The two families decided to meet at a location that was close to the border of their lands, a small mansion that had been refurbished to accommodate it’s royal guests. A large mass of reporters and cameras were waiting for the families to arrive, watching through their lenses as two limos approached the building from either side.

Baekhyun could feel his heart pounding as their limo drove closer and closer to the mansion, becoming increasingly nervous again now that the moment of meeting Sehun was finally upon him. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself, but this proved to be practically useless as Baekhyun looked out the window, spotting Sehun’s limo.

Pulling up to the front of the mansion, the sound of flashing cameras could be heard even inside their vehicle. Baekhyun watched as a few guards approached their limo, opening the doors and standing aside to allow everyone to exit. The King and Queen stepped out first, followed by Baekhyun’s sister. Baekhyun hesitated a moment, staring out at the long red carpet and the wall of reporters waiting for him on either side. Taking another deep breath, Baekhyun stepped out as well, joining his family as they walked slowly down the red carpet towards the mansion. 

Baekhyun waved to the reporters with a warm smile, the familiarity of being photographed like this actually bringing him a little comfort. The entire walk Baekhyun continued to smile at them, until he was standing at the front of the mansion. That’s when he spotted Sehun, walking towards him with the rest of his family.

Gulping nervously, the smile he was wearing suddenly disappeared. It felt surreal, watching Sehun move towards him in real time. He was actually there, right in front of him, existing in the same moment as Baekhyun. Keeping his sight on Sehun as he continued to move closer, Baekhyun witnessed Sehun’s eyes shift towards him, staring right at him. Baekhyun felt his entire body tighten up, his breath and heartbeat slowing down to almost a stop. 

Joining Baekhyun’s family at the front of the mansion, the King and Queen of both kingdoms greeted each other first, shaking each other’s hands. But Baekhyun didn’t even watch the moment, his eyes still fixed on Sehun. 

Sehun wasn’t feeling too differently from Baekhyun, also incredibly nervous to meet his fiancé for the first time. He had tried his best to prepare himself for this moment, and even came up with a few things to say, but now that they were standing face to face, all his thoughts were lost. Baekhyun was even more beautiful in person, if that was even possible.

It took a subtle nudge from Chanyeol for Sehun to finally gain the courage to approach Baekhyun, extending his hand towards him. Baekhyun fidgeted nervously, suddenly snapping his hand up to accept Sehun’s handshake. Grasping onto each other’s hands lightly, they kept their eyes locked, both of them getting lost in the moment.  
  
  


_Just how far will I fall?_

Baekhyun suddenly heard a faint voice, barely audible even in his own thoughts. The sound of it was familiar to him, something he had become accustomed to since his childhood. It was still strange to hear though, the sound of his own voice speaking to him. Although it was nothing more than a whisper, it sounded more urgent than it had in the past. As if something had stirred it awake.

Coughing into his hand, Chanyeol tried his best to whisper a message to Sehun, trying to remind him of the words he had prepared for this occasion. But Chanyeol’s attempt went unnoticed, and Sehun let go of Baekhyun’s hand without saying one word to him. As he stepped backwards towards his brother again, Chanyeol quietly scolded Sehun for forgetting to speak.

Reflecting on the quiet voice in his head, Baekhyun hardly even noticed as their families continued to greet each other, until Chanyeol went to shake his hand as well. Baekhyun moved in the same stiff manner, feeling even more embarrassed once he noticed the amused expression on Chanyeol’s face. He wondered if he was laughing at his nervous behavior.

After everyone was done greeting each other, both Kings and Queens made an announcement to the reporters, expressing their happiness for the occasion and that the signing of the treaty would soon be taking place after they got comfortable inside.

With these words, both families retreated inside the mansion, escaping from the reporters for a brief while before they were allowed to follow. Time passed quickly, everyone inside in a rush to prepare for the historical moment. Baekhyun hardly even had time to admire Sehun before he was seated at a table together with everyone.

Once the reporters were allowed inside, it didn’t take long until the signing of the treaty finally began. The room was flooded with the flash of cameras as the reporters did their best to record the moment, and once both families had finished signing the document, a cheer erupted from the crowd.

Standing again, the Kings from both kingdoms held the paper together for more photographs, posing with the rest of their families. After taking a multitude of pictures, a shout from the audience requested a photo op of the recently betrothed couple.

Since it was in fact part of the treaty, neither family had any obligation to the request, and urged Baekhyun and Sehun forward to take a few photos together. Baekhyun smiled shyly at Sehun before stepping closer to him, standing by his side as he turned to face the cameras.

Sehun was wearing his signature poker face, not because he didn’t want to smile, but because he was to nervous to make any other kind of expression. He contemplated wrapping his arm around Baekhyun’s waist for the pictures, but considering he was the younger one of them both, he wasn’t sure if it would seem disrespectful.

For the majority of photoshoot they ended up standing awkwardly by each other’s side, unsure if they should make any other kind of pose. It wasn’t until another shout from the audience suggested they should hold onto each other that they finally moved. Looking over at each other bashfully, they extended their arms, reaching behind each other’s backs.

It was in that moment that Baekhyun realized he was going to see photos of him and Sehun together posted everyone online. It made him smile just imagining it, thinking these would be the first of many photographs of them taken together.

Once their photoshoot was over, the reporters were asked to leave for the evening, so that the celebration between the families could begin. As everything was being prepared, more guests began to arrive, extended members of the royal families. They slowly filled the mansion, until the sound of loud chatter filled the large building, accompanied by the live performance of classical instruments.

Food and drink started to appear as well, butlers soon making their way around the room to serve everyone. As Sehun grabbed a glass of wine from one of the servers, he looked around the room for Baekhyun, wanting to finally have a word with him. Spotting him grabbing a drink as well, Sehun quickly made his way over to him, hoping to catch Baekhyun while he was still alone.

“Hi.” Sehun spoke nervously, a sweet smile appearing on his face as he stepped closer to Baekhyun.

“Hi.” Baekhyun repeated, giving Sehun an equally gentle smile. Pausing for a brief moment, he collected his nerves before he continued to speak, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Likewise.” Sehun answered, bashfully glancing down at his glass.

There was a break of silence between them, neither one of them sure what to say next. They both fiddled with their glasses in their hands, until Sehun eventually let out a nervous laugh.

“Sorry…I’ve been so awkward this whole time.”

Baekhyun looked up from his glass, laughing lightly as well, “Me too. It’s just an awkward situation.”

“Yeah.” Sehun nodded slowly, “…It’s strange to think we’re going to be married soon.”

Baekhyun felt his heart tighten from those words, staring into Sehun’s eyes certainly not helping his emotions either. He tried to hide his blushing cheeks with a nervous smile, hoping Sehun hadn’t detected how enamored he was with him.

“Yeah it is. We’ve only just met.”

Sehun licked his lips nervously, trying to remember the words he had prepared to tell Baekhyun during this celebration. Thinking on it for a little while, and arranging it the way he wanted in his head, he finally gained the confidence to speak again.

“…I wanted to tell you…that even though we were arranged to be together…and it’s not necessarily suppose to be a romantic relationship or anything…I still hope we can become good friends.”

“Of course.” Baekhyun replied with an enthusiastic inflection of his voice, “I’d like that too.”

A warm smiled appeared on Sehun’s face, relieved that Baekhyun felt the same way. He suddenly raised his glass, inviting Baekhyun to do the same.

“To our new friendship, and the peace of our kingdoms.”

Baekhyun laughed a little, copying Sehun and raising his glass, clanking them together, “To our new life together, and the bright future of our kingdoms.”

Bringing their glasses close to their mouths again, they both took a sip of their wine, smiling at each other as they swallowed their drink. Baekhyun admired Sehun’s handsome expression for a short moment before he spoke again, suddenly remembering something he wanted to say. 

“There’s something I wanted to tell you too.”

“Oh yeah?”

Baekhyun nodded, staring down at his glass again, rubbing his finger along the lip of the glass, “…I’m not sure if you’ve thought about it at all, but since we’re getting married, we’re going to be living together…but that means one of us will have to move.”

Sehun’s brow raised slightly, only just now becoming aware of that fact, “You’re right, I hadn’t thought about that…”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already decided to move to your kingdom.”

“No no.” Sehun answered quickly as he shook his head, “I should be the one to move. I’m younger than you.”

Baekhyun tilted his head curiously, a little surprised to hear Sehun say that. Age never usually mattered between Astrals, because they were known to have multiple lives. But after thinking over it for a moment, Baekhyun understood that Sehun probably viewed it the same way he did. Since he had no memory of his previous life, the reality of the present was all that really mattered to him. 

“Well…” Baekhyun blushed, glancing up at Sehun again, “…I was thinking between the two of us…that I was like the wife. So it made more sense this way.”

“Oh.” Sehun answered after a short pause, surprised that Baekhyun would so easily label himself that way, “…Well if that’s what you want, then it’s fine with me.”

“Okay, good.” Baekhyun smiled, “It’s settled then.”

A sudden announcement from the other side of the room gained their attention, and they looked over to see Sehun’s father standing near the musicians. He began to make a small speech, once again conveying his joy for the occasion and hopes for the future. He mentioned Sehun and Baekhyun as well, humorously asking everyone to give their congratulations to the newly engaged couple.

And for the rest of the evening, that was exactly what happened. Sehun and Baekhyun hardly had another moment to speak to each other, continuously trapped in long conversations with their extended family members.

By the time they were finally left alone again, the guests were already beginning to leave. They knew it was time to say goodbye to each other as well, although they were both reluctant to do so. Hesitating for a little while, they stayed by each other’s side as they watched everyone filter out of the building. 

“…It’s too bad we didn’t have more time to talk.” Sehun eventually spoke, facing Baekhyun again.

Baekhyun sighed, looking over at Sehun as well, “Yeah, I didn’t think we’d get swarmed by all our relatives tonight.”

Sehun laughed, nodding his head in agreement before he also let out a sigh, “That was exhausting.”

Baekhyun made a small mumble, expressing that he felt the same way. He could already tell that he was going to sleep well that night. Sehun smiled as he stared down at Baekhyun, noticing that he really was exhausted. Wanting to let him get home and rest, Sehun decided it was time to say goodbye. He stepped closer to Baekhyun, carefully wrapping his arms around him in a loose hug.

“It was nice meeting you Baekhyun. I look forward to becoming good friends.”

Baekhyun suddenly went stiff, his heart pounding rapidly as he soaked in the feeling of Sehun’s arms wrapped around him, and their bodies pressed lightly together. Breathing nervously, Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Sehun as well, returning the small hug. 

“Me too. It was fun talking to you tonight.”

Sehun smiled as he released his embrace, taking a step away to look at Baekhyun’s face again, “Hopefully next time we’ll be less awkward.”

Baekhyun laughed, nodding his head in agreement, “Let’s hope.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Sehun laughed lightly as well, stepping further away from Baekhyun as he began to leave, “Sleep well tonight.”

“You too.” Baekhyun smiled, sending Sehun a small wave as he watched him walk away and disappear into the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I finally finished the first chapter of this story! I’m sorry I’ve been taking so long lately, I used to be so fast at giving updates…I feel like my brain has just slowed down or something >.< It’s so frustrating. I promise I’ve been writing…but I’m just slower lol. Hopefully my brain will wake up. I did finish writing my fic for the Sebaek fic fest though, so that’s something. Unfortunately I can’t share it yet though >.< I’m sorry! I wish I could post it right now! (And yes, I’m still writing the bonus for Nine Lives…please excuse my snail’s pace at getting things done.)
> 
> Back to this story though, I’m honestly so nervous to share it with you. I have no idea how long it will be and I don’t have a timeline mapped out or anything, but I came up with this concept and I really love it so I want to write it…Let’s just hope I can keep it interesting. I feel like this first chapter is kinda heavy with explanations, I’m sorry if it was boring >.< I got a lot of inspiration from Baekhyun’s Psycho (Did you guys notice I used the lyrics?), and the 2014 MV of Sehun (Shinhwa’s Yo!), along with some other stuff lol.
> 
> As for that poem in the beginning of this chapter, it’s a poem I wrote a long time ago to try and help me fall asleep ha ha (In 2012 actually, right before Exo’s debut!) Just in case anyone was curious~
> 
> Anyway, please let me know if you enjoyed this! Sorry for blabbing on forever but it’s been so long since I talked to you guys ha ha.


	3. Restless Memories

The silence was strikingly apparent. Baekhyun hadn’t heard a voice in his thoughts ever since he encountered Sehun’s other self. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. He wondered if his past self was in fact ashamed, like Sehun had guessed. Or maybe there was another reason. Regardless, Baekhyun felt the silence, and it bothered him. More than ever before he was curious to hear what was on his past self’s mind, but not a single whisper entered his thoughts.

With only a few days left until the wedding, Baekhyun grew increasingly nervous. The silence became ominous to him, and he found himself feeling constantly on edge that something bad was about to happen. It didn’t help that he had been walking on eggshells with his family lately, hiding the secret of Sehun’s regression from them. Needless to say, he was anxious for the ceremony to be done with already.

Expected of a royal wedding, especially one of such incredible significance to both kingdoms, it was going to be a prodigiously grand event. Preparation for the wedding had been going on ever since the treaty was signed, and every last detail had been meticulously planned for the big day. The backdrop of the ceremony was going to be Sehun’s castle itself, with the entire palace draped in lights and garlands of flowers. 

All day Baekhyun had been dragged around to numerous locations in preparation for the occasion, including a fitting for the uniform he was going to wear during the ceremony. Normally he would have dreaded such a packed schedule, but he appreciated the distraction.

Still, he was feeling exhausted at the end of the day, and eagerly flopped onto his bed once it was finally time to rest. Closing his eyes, he just relaxed for a long while, gaining some energy back before he finally moved again. Rolling onto his back, he reached for his phone, deciding to look at some photos before he fell asleep. It had become a recurring habit for him, to look through his camera roll and stare at the many photos of Sehun and himself together that he had saved. His favorite was the one Sehun had taken at the restaurant, with the hashtags included in Baekhyun’s screen cap. He would stare at it for a long while, looking forward to when he was going to see Sehun again.

Eventually shutting off his phone, Baekhyun contemplated giving Sehun a call. It still felt a little awkward for Baekhyun, and he wondered if Sehun felt the same. Even though they had each other’s numbers, they didn’t contact each other very much. In fact, the last time Baekhyun had even heard from Sehun was a text Sehun sent to him after their date. A small message expressing how much he enjoyed their day together and hoping that Baekhyun got home safely, as well as another apology concerning what happened that evening.

Staring at Sehun’s number, Baekhyun felt his heart pounding as he tried to gain the courage to press the call button. He felt like a lovesick teenager, anxious to call his secret crush. The thought of it was honestly kind of amusing to him, the fact that he had a secret crush on his fiancé. He imagined that didn’t happen too often. Taking a deep breath, he finally pressed down his finger, the ring tone soon following it.

After ringing only a few times, Sehun’s warm voice quickly came from the other line, _“Hi Baekhyun.”_

“Hi.” Baekhyun smiled nervously, holding the phone close to his face, “Sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

_“No, I haven’t fallen asleep yet. I’m just laying in bed.”_

“Me too. Did you want to sleep though? Should I call later?”

_“No no, it’s fine. I’d like to talk.”_

“Okay.” Baekhyun exhaled slowly in relief, burying his face more under his sheets, “I’ve been meaning to call you but I’ve been so busy lately.”

_“Me too.”_ Sehun made a sighing laugh, _“I didn’t realize there was so much preparation for a wedding.”_

“Right?” Baekhyun sighed as well, “And I’m sure we’re only seeing a third of it.”

_“Yeah, I’m sure.”_ Baekhyun could hear Sehun take a deep breath, _“How are you doing so far?”_

“Fine. Just tired.”

_“Same.”_

There was a break between them, and Baekhyun noticed his pounding heart again in the silence. Pulling the blanket closer around his head, he blushed as he eventually spoke again.

“Has anything else weird happened? You know, since you reverted to your past self…”

He listened to Sehun shuffling on the other end, possibly getting more comfortable under his sheets as well, _“Uh, no. At least not that I know about. I don’t remember anything from last time though, so I don’t know.”_

“Have you heard anything in your head?” Baekhyun asked curiously, wondering if Sehun had possibly experienced the same ominous silence.

_“Hmmm…I don’t think so…Now that you mention it.”_

“I haven’t heard anything either.” Baekhyun admitted nervously, “It’s kind of worrying me.”

_“How come?”_ Sehun’s asked, his voice quickly dropping into concern.

“I don’t know…I just don’t like it. My voice was so talkative before, and suddenly it’s gone quiet. I just keep thinking…what if the same thing happens to me? What if I suddenly change into my past self one day? Or what if our other selves are waiting for the wedding to ruin it somehow?”

Baekhyun waited anxiously for Sehun to answer, but it suddenly went quiet on his end. Without being able to see Sehun’s face, Baekhyun started to contrive what kind of reaction he might be having. Maybe he said to much, maybe he should have handled the situation more delicately. But just as he went to speak again, Sehun suddenly cut him off.

_“I won’t do anything to stop it.”_

Baekhyun felt a shiver run down his spine, recognizing the change in Sehun’s voice. It was just like before. 

“…You’re…” Baekhyun began, unsure of how to ask what happened, “…This isn’t Sehun…is it?”

_“Depends on how you look at it.”_

Baekhyun could sense the cold smile on Sehun’s face as he spoke. His strong presence could be felt even without seeing his face, as if a shadow was suddenly looming over Baekhyun.

_“But I’m not the Sehun you know.”_

Baekhyun gulped, his stomach suddenly tightening in knots. Even without being physically near Sehun, the sound of his voice still elicited fear in Baekhyun.

_“There’s no reason to interfere with the wedding.”_ Sehun continued, realizing Baekhyun was too petrified to speak, _“This is the perfect opportunity to be near Boseong again.”_

Baekhyun wasn’t exactly comforted by that answer, remembering what Sehun’s past self had told him about revenge. But he was at least relieved he didn’t have to worry about the wedding.

“…Is Boseong my other name?” Baekhyun timidly asked, curious about it for a while now.

_“Yes. You hated it when I called you that.”_ A cold chuckle trickled into Baekhyun’s ear through the phone, the sound trapped against Baekhyun’s cheek as he pressed the phone close to his face.

“Oh…” Baekhyun replied slowly, that answer making Baekhyun even more curious as to what happened in the past. He wanted to learn everything about their history together, and hoped that Sehun would would be willing to answer his questions, “Why is that?”

There was a small pause as Sehun smiled to himself, recalling the memory of Boseong’s expression, _“Let’s just say I had no right to call you that.”_

Baekhyun waited to see if his other self would respond to that statement, but instead the eerie silence remained in his thoughts, “…Why not?”

_“I’m sure Boseong can tell you. I don’t have enough time. I’d rather talk about you.”_

“Me?” Baekhyun asked with a blush, squeezing the phone nervously in his hand, “Why me?”

Sehun continued smiling, finding every shy response Baekhyun made incredibly entertaining, _“Because I get a small amount of revenge every time you open your mouth. It’s worth much more than taking your life.”_

Baekhyun gulped, suddenly realizing the severity of their past conflict with each other, “…You wanted to kill me?”

_“I did kill you.”_ Sehun answered dully, _“But honestly it doesn’t really matter, does it? We’re Astrals. Even though I killed you, you just came back. This is much more satisfying.”_

Baekhyun went quiet, breathing heavily as he imagined the thought of Sehun taking his life. It was difficult to swallow, the idea that the person Baekhyun had become so infatuated with was the same person who had ended his previous life.

_“So, Baekhyun, you never actually answered my question before. You like Sehun, correct?”_

Baekhyun blushed again from the sudden question, hearing Sehun’s voice ask him about it making it even more nerve wracking.

“…I…Well…” Baekhyun stuttered, embarrassed to say it out loud. Even though he knew Sehun couldn’t hear them, he still feared the possibility of it.

  
  
  
__

_Don’t you dare answer him_

The silence in Baekhyun’s thoughts was finally broken, Boseong’s voice becoming a chilling hiss in his mind. It was the first time Boseong spoke to him so directly, instead of making a passing comment about something Baekhyun had done. 

Sehun noticed Baekhyun stalling, and smirked to himself as he imagined the reason why, _“Boseong is stopping you, isn’t he? But his secret isn’t safe anymore. You can’t hide the truth from me.”_

“…I think of Sehun as my friend.” Baekhyun lied, not wanting to say how he really felt.

A puff of laughter could be heard on the other line, clearly not convinced by Baekhyun’s answer, _“Fine, stay quiet. It will be more fun to play with you anyway.”_

Baekhyun wasn’t sure what that meant, but it made him feel uneasy. His feelings for Sehun were the last thing he wanted to be played around with, especially by Sehun himself. As Baekhyun anxiously thought to himself, he failed to notice the amount of time that went by since Sehun had last spoken. It wasn’t until the sound of Sehun’s voice interrupted his thoughts again that Baekhyun realized how long it had been silent.

_“…Baekhyun?”_ Sehun asked in a bewildered tone, _“Are you there?”_

“Yes.” Baekhyun quickly replied with a smile, “You’re back.”

_“Yeah…I switched again, didn’t I?”_

“You did.”

_“Are you okay? I hope I didn’t scare you.”_

“I’m fine…” Baekhyun answered slowly, finding the compassion in Sehun’s voice comforting, “But…I learned something kind of alarming about our past.”

_“Really? What happened?”_

“Well…” Baekhyun stalled, trying to decide the best way to relay the information to Sehun, “I guess you’re the one who…ended my life.”

There was a long pause, Sehun seeming rather stunned by the news. Baekhyun could hear Sehun take a breath, as if he were about to speak, but instead he closed his mouth again. It took Sehun a moment more before he was finally able to answer.

_“You mean I…killed you?”_

“Apparently.” Baekhyun responded quietly, “I don’t know why though.”

_“…That’s…”_ Sehun trailed off, speaking with a heavy heart, upset by the thought of harming Baekhyun, _“…I can’t imagine ever doing something like that.”_

“I know, I can’t imagine you doing anything like that either.” Baekhyun paused temporarily, both of them going quiet as they thought over the somber reality, “…But, on the bright side, it doesn’t seem like our other selves want to interrupt the wedding.” 

_“Well at least there’s that.”_ Sehun sighed, honestly relieved that Baekhyun was still okay with the idea of marrying him. After everything that had happened, he wouldn’t be surprised if Baekhyun wanted to call off the wedding himself, _“I’m really sorry about all this.”_

“It’s not your fault.” Baekhyun assured him with a warm inflection in his voice, “This is just a crazy coincidence. It’s kind of fascinating actually. Maybe we were meant to meet each other again.”

_“Maybe.”_ Sehun smiled, glad that Baekhyun was taking such a light approach to all this, _“I just hope it doesn’t become a problem.”_

“Me too.”

Sehun inhaled a slow breath, praying that everything would be fine. Suddenly fighting back a yawn, he glanced at the clock on his phone to check the time.

_“Wow, it’s getting pretty late, huh?”_

“Oh, you’re right.” Baekhyun agreed, checking the time as well, “I have to get up pretty early tomorrow.”

_“Me too. We should probably go to bed.”_ Sehun finally yawned between speaking, _“Thanks for calling me Baekhyun. Feel free to call me at any time.”_

“You too.” Baekhyun smiled bashfully as a blush spread across his cheeks, “Good night Sehun.”

_“Good night.”_

After hanging up his phone, Baekhyun placed it aside to get comfortable under his sheets again. He breathed slowly as he drifted off to sleep, for the first time not feeling anxious about the wedding ever since the day he met Sehun’s other self. Melting into his pillow, he fell into a deep sleep, his mind fading into a dream. Everything went dark, and for many long hours he relaxed in peaceful sleep, until morning drew near again. But as he slept, the memories locked away inside him stirred restlessly. Boseong could not find rest, not after Baekhyun’s conversation with Sehun. 

Eventually a light appeared in Baekhyun’s dream, the faint glow of a torch. It was moving down a hallway beside him, illuminating the stone walls surrounding him on every side. His footsteps echoed in the dark corridor, the tapping sound only accompanied by the crackle of fire and the occasional drip of water coming from the ceiling. At last coming to a stop, he watched as the torch slowly reached forward, bringing light to his destination. There was a set of iron bars in front of him, forming a large cell. Peering inside, Baekhyun could make out the figure of a man, sitting on the ground and bound in shackles attached to the wall. The light from the torch trickled on the man’s silver hair, the pale strands standing out in the otherwise pitch black room. Slowly raising his head, the man looked up at Baekhyun, a smirk on his lips as he locked eyes with him. 

Baekhyun felt his heart grip, recognizing Sehun’s face. With a gasp, he suddenly woke up, springing up in his bed. Breathing heavily, Baekhyun stared forward into his room, realizing it was only a dream.

Still, it was more vivid than Baekhyun had ever experienced before. He knew at once it must have been a memory from the past. He could feel everything, from the cold temperature in the room to the emotions his past self was experiencing in that moment. The intense anger boiling inside him as he stared at Sehun.

_“Why do you hate him?”_ Baekhyun decided to ask, for the first time attempting to actually communicate with his other self.

Unfortunately he was met with only silence. Nonetheless, Baekhyun wasn’t going to give up yet, really hoping Boseong might eventually answer him.

_“I want to know more about what happened between us, please tell me.”_

Baekhyun waited for a long while, but still there was no response. It didn’t seem like his other self was open to discussing what happened in the past, or really anything for that matter. It appeared that if Baekhyun wanted to get any answers, he was going to have to ask Sehun instead. Unfortunately, all Sehun’s other self wanted to do was toy with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit shorter of a chapter this time, but I hope it was still interesting! I’m feeling so inspired by Exo’s comeback, I can’t stop thinking about this story when I watch the MV ha ha. Please let me know what you guys think!! Thanks so much for all your support <333


	4. Your Majesty

Despite Sehun’s best wishes to get closer to Baekhyun during the inevitable romantic atmosphere of their engagement, things weren’t going very well so far. Frighting his fiancé with sudden visits from his dangerous alter ego and discovering the fact that he was the one responsible for killing Baekhyun in his past life was kind of putting a damper on things. It certainly wasn’t what Sehun had in mind.

Not to mention he was a lot busier than he thought he would be, and he barely even had time to send Baekhyun a text. Still, he managed to find small moments to send Baekhyun a few messages, which usually included a photo of himself trapped in some kind of boring meeting. Baekhyun would always laugh, sending a similar photo back to him, also trapped in a meeting. Both of them had to attend a series of discussions concerning the procession of events taking place on the day of their wedding, which mostly didn’t include them but they still had to listen to it anyway.

But today was different, it was finally time for them to attend the wedding rehearsal together. Their families had been practicing it separately for weeks now, but one last rehearsal was needed to make sure everything went smoothly. Once Baekhyun’s family started to arrive at the castle, Sehun quickly searched for Baekhyun amongst the large crowd of people walking around outside. He smiled once he spotted him, dressed in pair of jeans and a short sleeve buttoned shirt. He looked more casual than usual, but still managed to give off a noble presence.

Sehun gently pushed his way through the crowd to get to him, continuing to smile as he approached Baekhyun. Reaching him, Sehun instantly extended his arms to wrap them around Baekhyun in a light hug.

“Baekhyun, it’s so good to see you. Thank god you’re here.”

Baekhyun blushed as he was suddenly enveloped by Sehun’s body, his face pressed close against Sehun’s chest. Eventually raising his arms to return the hug, Baekhyun continued blushing as he held onto Sehun for a brief moment.

A shy smile appeared on his face as Sehun backed away, his eyes twinkling with amusement from Sehun’s obvious relief, “Hi Sehun. Did something happen?”

“My aunts were just about to corner me.” Sehun sighed, looking over in their direction, “I just narrowly escaped.”

Baekhyun giggled as he stared at Sehun, sympathizing with his joy in escaping the unwanted attention of relatives. Hearing his gentle laugh, Sehun smiled as he looked back over at him, wanting to admire Baekhyun’s pretty expression. He loved the way Baekhyun’s entire face would glow with happiness, even for the smallest of jokes.

The soft look in Sehun’s eyes as he gazed at Baekhyun was not missed by Boseong, the tender affection unmistakable in his expression. He never thought he’d see that look on Sehun’s face, especially directed at him. It was in that moment that Boseong realized, maybe Baekhyun wasn’t the only one harboring secret feelings. He had suspected it before, during their date together, but he just assumed Sehun was trying his best to be friendly. This expression on Sehun’s face was different though.

“Here, follow me.” Sehun offered, gently grabbing Baekhyun’s hand, “The Officiant wanted to talk to us.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun smiled, allowing Sehun to lead him through the courtyard of people. He tried to contain his emotions as Sehun continued holding his hand, not wanting to look like a strawberry by the end of their walk.

He admired the castle as they went along, noticing how perfectly the elegant decorations fit with the architecture of the building. It almost seemed as if they had always been there, as if the castle was meant to be adorned with lights and flowers.

“It’s beautiful.” Baekhyun eventually expressed in awe, starting to feel a little emotional. Even if he was royalty, he never expected to have such a perfect fairytale wedding, and with such an incredibly handsome groom to boot.

Sehun nodded his head as he looked over at Baekhyun, also finding the decorations of the castle to be quite breathtaking. Even after being exposed to it for a while now, it still affected him every time he came out to see it.

“Yeah, it is.” He smiled, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand.

Eventually reaching the Officiant, they spoke to him briefly before the rehearsal began. He merely wanted to congratulate them and make sure they were ready before he started. After getting everyone’s attention, the Officiant began directing everyone where to go. There was a camera crew there as well, and they were included in the process of making sure everything went smoothly.

It took a while to go through the entire procession and ceremony, with the Officiant being extra careful that everything went perfectly. After all, it wasn’t a normal wedding, and it was going to be broadcast worldwide.

There were numerous occasions throughout the rehearsal that made Sehun and Baekhyun blush, especially when the Officiant informed them of the proper time to kiss. Neither of them had brought it up yet, and they weren’t sure if it was actually going to be included in the ceremony. Shyly glancing over at each other, their faces quickly flushed, and they suddenly averted their eyes.

After practicing the recession as well, the rehearsal finally ended, and everyone started to get ready to go inside and have dinner. Sehun and Baekhyun remained by each other’s side as they watched everyone, feeling a little overwhelmed at this point. There was so much they needed to remember to say and do, and they didn’t want to make a single mistake. Sighing quietly, Sehun eventually turned to look over at Baekhyun, smiling at him weakly.

“How are you doing?”

“Okay.” Baekhyun smiled back at him, “Just tired.”

Sehun raised his arm to wrap it around Baekhyun’s shoulder, squeezing it gently, “Come on, let’s go eat.”

Moving with the crowd, they walked through the courtyard to enter the castle. By this time it was already dark out, and the hanging lights were shining brightly against the castle walls. Baekhyun admired them once more before disappearing inside.

They were forced to sit apart during dinner, but they frequently made eye contact and sent each other shy smiles. The majority of their time was stolen by their relatives though, and Baekhyun laughed quietly to himself once he noticed Sehun being questioned by his aunts. Sehun looked very uncomfortable, but once he realized Baekhyun was watching him, he couldn’t help smiling as well, noticing how Baekhyun was laughing. He continued to look over at Baekhyun during his conversation, secretly laughing with him about the situation. Baekhyun was starting to understand why Sehun dreaded it so much, because it seemed like an extremely long conversation.

After dinner was finally over, the guests were all shown to their rooms. Baekhyun’s entire family was going to be staying at the castle. As the room emptied, Sehun made his way over to Baekhyun again.

“Hey, I wanted to ask…” Sehun started, feeling extremely nervous as he stared at Baekhyun’s curious expression, “I know you’re tired but…I thought we could hang out a little longer. We can have some dessert in my room.”

“Dessert?” Baekhyun asked with a smile. It wasn’t included in the meal, and he was honestly disappointed.

“Yeah, whatever you want, I’m sure the chefs can make it for you.”

“I’d love some cake.” Baekhyun admitted, not even trying to be discreet about it.

“Sure, what kind?”

“Just chocolate. Maybe some vanilla ice cream too.”

“Okay, just a sec.” Sehun smiled, going over to his assistant standing on the other side of the room. Speaking to him quickly, he requested that the dessert be delivered to his room, along with some wine.

Going back over to Baekhyun, Sehun invited him to follow him, “We can stop at your room first, if you’d like to change.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. You don’t mind if I wear pajamas?”

“Of course not. I just want you to be comfortable.”

Baekhyun made a shy smile to himself, looking forward to a relaxing night in Sehun’s room and eating some cake. He couldn’t really imagine a more perfect way of spending an evening.

They made their way to the main entrance before climbing the stairs, and then down a long hall before arriving at Baekhyun’s door. Sehun opened it for him, quickly stepping aside to allow Baekhyun to enter.

“Do you remember where my room is?”

“Yeah, I do.” Baekhyun smiled after entering the room.

“Okay, go ahead and meet me there once you’re done.”

Baekhyun nodded happily, watching as Sehun started to leave. He took a deep breath once he was gone, trying to calm his nerves. Not wanting to waste any time, he went to take a quick shower and change his clothes.

Sehun did the same, putting on a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable T-Shirt. He didn’t have to wait long until he heard a knock at the door, and he quickly went to answer it. However, it wasn’t Baekhyun, but instead the dessert he had ordered. He thanked them for it as they pushed the tray of food into the room and placed it down where Sehun wanted. After setting it on the coffee table, as per request, they also started the fire for him.

Sehun thanked them once again as they left, and sat down on his sofa in front of the fire as he waited for Baekhyun again. In his silent thoughts, he smiled to himself thinking how at this same time tomorrow, he was going to be a married man. That from that day forward, he’d be able to say that he was Baekhyun’s husband. 

Another knock at the door snapped him out of his thoughts, and he quickly got up to go open it for Baekhyun. Taking a deep breath, he swung the door open with a smile, a greeting already beginning to escape his lips. However, his words suddenly froze once his eyes landed on Baekhyun, instantly noticing the silver color of his hair.

“Hello Sehun.” Boseong smiled, the beautiful joy Sehun usually adored in his expression completely gone. There was only animosity in his smile, a wicked intention twisting in his eyes.

Sehun didn’t answer him, feeling speechless as he gazed at Baekhyun’s past identity. He didn’t think Baekhyun would be like this as well, he couldn’t imagine Baekhyun as anything other than a sweet and warm person.

Noticing that Sehun wasn’t going to say anything, Boseong walked past him to enter the room. He continued smiling once he noticed the glasses of wine sitting on the table, as well as the lit fireplace.

“Isn’t this romantic?” He smirked, eyeing Sehun again for a moment before sinking down on the sofa.

Sehun turned to look at him, remaining still in the doorway as he watched Boseong pick up his glass, bringing to his lips to take a sip. Slowly raising his hand, Sehun shut the door, keeping his eyes on Boseong as he took his first step towards him.

“Did anyone see you?”

“No, just relax.” Boseong answered, licking his lips after swallowing his drink, “Come sit down.”

Sehun gulped nervously before taking another step, slowly making his way over to Boseong. Boseong watched as Sehun sat down, keeping his distance on the far end of the sofa.

“What’s wrong?” Boseong smirked, enjoying the nervous expression on Sehun’s face, “Don’t tell me you’re afraid.”

“…No, I’m just worried.” Sehun answered, hoping that Boseong hadn’t appeared to try and ruin everything like Baekhyun feared.

“About the wedding?” Boseong asked with a dark grin, “Don’t be, I feel the same as Seuta.”

“Seuta?” Sehun repeated curiously. He realized it must have been his other name, but it was very odd sounding.

“Yes.” Boseong answered after taking another sip of his drink, “Your friend’s best attempt at saying ‘star’ I believe. They weren’t very creative.”

“So it was a nickname?”

“No.” Baekhyun sighed dully, seeming bored by the topic, “You never had a real name. At least that’s what you told me.”

Each time Boseong answered him Sehun only gained more questions in his head. Nothing about what Boseong had told him made any sense. Since Astrals were only ever royalty, there was no way he wouldn’t have had a real name. But before he could ask, Boseong started speaking again.

“I’m Boseong by the way, I don’t think Baekhyun ever told you that. But you must address me as Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty? You mean you were a king?”

Boseong glared over at him for a long moment before answering, “Briefly.”

At first Sehun was confused by Boseong’s expression, but he eventually winced, realizing he had accidentally triggered an unpleasant memory. He wondered if his past self had possibly ended that reign rather prematurely.

“Listen…I know apologizing probably won’t fix anything…But I’m really sorry about everything I did in the past. I don’t know what happened…But it makes me sad to think that I hurt you.”

Boseong slowly smiled, his eyes brimming with satisfaction from Sehun’s words. He never thought he’d hear such a sincere apology, it was his first real taste of revenge.

“Apologize again, but this time kneel before me, and call me as Your Majesty.”

Sehun remained still for a moment, a little startled by the request. He didn’t think Boseong would be so receptive to the apology, although it wasn’t really clear if he was taking it to heart. Regardless, Sehun was willing to do whatever Boseong wanted to mend the rift between them.  
  
  


_Don’t do it! You’ve already humiliated me enough!_

Sehun suddenly heard Seuta shouting in his mind, a more panicked sound to his voice than Sehun had ever heard before. Despite this, Sehun had no intention of listening to him. Ignoring his own wishes, Sehun quickly knelt down on the floor in front of Boseong, lowering his head in respect.

“Your Majesty, I’m deeply saddened by the pain I have caused you. I apologize for everything that I did in the past. All I want is for you to be happy.”

Boseong gloated in the vision before him for a long while, before eventually reaching forward, gently placing his fingers under Sehun’s chin to lift his face. When Sehun raised his eyes, he noticed Boseong’s cold smile, and the malicious expression on his face.

“What a gentlemen.”

Sehun exhaled slowly, realizing that his apology had little affect. He watched as Boseong slowly leaned back in his seat, his hand slipping off Sehun’s face as he lowered his arm.

“I won’t forgive you, or rather I won’t forgive Seuta, but it was a pleasure to hear.”

Flicking his fingers, he invited Sehun to stand up. Sehun’s eyes dimmed as he rose from the floor, upset that he couldn’t at least partially heal their past in some way. He sat down beside Boseong again, staring forward at the table in disappointment.

“I wanted to clarify something, about what Seuta said.” Boseong started as he brought his glass to his lips again, taking a sip before continuing, “He made it sound like he was the victor in our fight with each other, but he left out an important detail.”

Sehun stared at Boseong curiously, knowing that he must have been referring to the fact that Seuta had killed him. He didn’t dare say anything in response, fearing that he might offend Boseong again, and decided to just listen instead.

“On that night, when you took my life, I wasn’t the only one to fall. We fought until we could no longer stand, the wounds we inflicted on each other eventually taking both our lives.”

Sehun remained silent, his eyes fixed on Boseong as he slowly absorbed the information. Although he’d rather not, he began to imagine how the tragic battle progressed. And then suddenly, as if triggered by the thought of it, an image flashed in his mind. A clear vision of Boseong standing in front of him, a rapier in his grasp as he suddenly lunged forward, thrusting the blade into Sehun’s chest. 

Sehun grimaced from the vivid memory, and consequently raised his hand to hold onto his chest. Boseong noticed his reaction, and watched him curiously, realizing he must have seen a vision of the incident in his mind. 

“Seems like Seuta remembers it well.” Boseong spoke quietly as he analyzed Sehun’s expression.

“Apparently.” Sehun answered in a heavy breath, still feeling overwhelmed by the vision.

It went quiet between them for a short while as Sehun gathered himself, until he eventually lowered his hand and turned to look over at Boseong again. 

“How is this possible? I’ve never heard about other Astrals experiencing anything like this. You’re only suppose to be a voice in our head.”

“Don’t ask me, I don’t understand it either.” Boseong replied, finally placing his glass down on the table.

“How did you switch though? You’re the one that did it, right?”

Sehun was honestly getting curious why Seuta hadn’t taken control at some point during their conversation, especially if he was so mortified by Sehun’s behavior. He thought it was in their control, but it seemed like there was some other trick behind it.

“I’m not going to tell you that part.” Boseong smirked, swiveling on the sofa to face towards Sehun, “I feel like my control is getting weaker now though, it seems like we can’t stay for very long. So I’m going to hurry this up.”

Sehun watched nervously as Boseong suddenly scooted closer to him, coming to sit right beside him. Raising his hand, Boseong placed it on Sehun’s thigh, continuing to smirk as he leaned closer to him. 

“You’ve become fond of Baekhyun, right? You seem pretty happy about marrying me.”

Sehun hesitated a moment, feeling as Boseong began to rub his leg, “…I am happy. I think we’ll be really close friends.”

“But you want to be more than friends, don’t you?” Boseong whispered, staring directly into Sehun’s eyes, “You’re interested in being intimate with Baekhyun, right?”

Sehun gulped, feeling his cheeks getting hot from the embarrassment of the sudden claim. Although it was true, he wasn’t sure where Boseong was getting that idea from. Remaining in bashful silence, he began to hear shouts of displeasure from Seuta in his head again, demanding him not to answer.

“Don’t be shy, I won’t tell him.” Boseong bit down on his lip, thoroughly enjoying Sehun’s flustered expression, “But I can tell you what he likes, if you really are interested.”  
  
  


_Don’t listen to him, he’s just trying to manipulate you!_

This time, Sehun decided to actually listen to his alternate identity. It was pretty obvious that Boseong was lying, since he hated Seuta and wouldn’t want to experience them getting together. Besides, he’d rather learn about Baekhyun on his own.

“No thank you.” Sehun answered politely, taking Boseong’s hand and removing it from his thigh, “I have no other interest than becoming good friends with Baekhyun.”

Boseong glared at Sehun, subsequently snorting in disappointment as he ripped his own hand out of Sehun’s grasp. He really thought Sehun might tell him the truth, since he was so willing to comply with the apology.

Having no further desire to speak to Sehun, he decided to leave before he even lost control, and the color of his hair suddenly switched back to black again. Baekhyun fell forward a little from the abrupt transformation, and Sehun reacted quickly by catching him in his arms. He continued to hold onto him as Baekhyun recovered, watching as Baekhyun slowly opened his eyes again. Baekhyun blushed once he realized where he was, and the intimate position they were in. 

“Sehun? When did I…Have I been here for a while?” 

“Yeah, for a little bit. Boseong came to see me.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in surprise as he quickly leaned back out of Sehun’s arms, “Really? You spoke to him?”

Sehun nodded, “Yes, he just wanted to clarify something.”

“What?” Baekhyun asked curiously. He was confused why Boseong wouldn’t just tell him himself.

“Well…” Sehun paused, unsure of how to approach such a dark topic, “I guess we actually ended up…killing each other.”

Baekhyun sat still for a moment, continuing to stare at Sehun with wide eyes, “Oh…”

“…I actually saw a quick vision of it in my mind.” Sehun admitted, recalling the sight of Boseong standing in front of him, “Have you had anything like that happen?”

“No.” Baekhyun answered as he shook his head lightly, “Not besides the dream I told you about. I’m sorry you had to see that though.”

“It’s okay.” Sehun smiled weakly, not wanting to worry Baekhyun, “I also learned my name used to be Seuta. I guess you already knew yours was Boseong.”

“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you that.” Baekhyun answered with a guilty expression.

Sehun laughed a little at Baekhyun’s concerned expression, “Don’t worry Baekhyun, I’m not upset. Have you tired to look up any information on yourself?”

“I have actually. I was going to tell you about it, but I thought it’d be better to discuss in person.”

Sehun raised his eyebrow curiously, “What did you find out?”

“Not much really.” Baekhyun sighed, “They don’t have very many records about that time. It was around one thousand years ago though, and I guess I became a king after my father died. But I didn’t find much information beyond that, other than the fact that I died rather young. But I didn’t see anything about the person who killed me, or how it happened. I don’t remember seeing the name Seuta anywhere either…”

“Hm.” Sehun replied as he thought about it carefully, “…That reminds me, Boseong did tell me that my friends called me Seuta, but I never actually had a real name. It seemed weird to me…”

“That is weird.” Baekhyun answered as he thought on it for a while as well, “Have you tried asking yourself about it?”

“Uh, no, I haven’t actually.” Sehun smiled, wondering why he had never thought of that before, “Maybe I should later…it’s already late though and we’re going to have a long day tomorrow. Plus, your ice cream is melting.”

Baekhyun snapped his head to look over at his plate of cake and the bowl of melted ice cream with a panicked expression, “Oh no!”

“You don’t have to eat it, I can send for some more if you want.” Sehun laughed.

“No no, it’s ok.” Baekhyun smiled, reaching for his cake, “This will be plenty.”

Sehun watched as he took his first bite, and smiled at his reaction. He could tell by the look on his face that he must have liked it.

“Good?”

“Mmmm.” Baekhyun answered as he swallowed, nodding his head in approval.

“This is my favorite recipe.” Sehun explained, taking a small bite as well, “I always ask for this one on my birthday.”

“Oh really?” Baekhyun giggled, already digging in for another bite, “I would too, it’s so good.”

Sehun secretly watched as Baekhyun ate a few more bites, each time he swallowed a happy smile quickly appeared on his lips. Occasionally a glob of chocolate would get on his lips too, and Baekhyun would quickly lick it off. It was the least princely thing Sehun had seen him do, and he was delighted to witness it. He hoped to see more of this less noble side of Baekhyun, a side of him that normal people didn’t get to see. 

Once they finished the cake, they grabbed their glasses of wine and relaxed into the sofa again. Sehun offered Baekhyun a blanket in case he wanted one, and Baekhyun accepted it, wrapping it around himself. Only his head and hands were visible outside of the puffy blanket, the rest of him bundled up warmly. Sehun couldn’t help smiling at how adorable he looked, like a puppy in a swaddle. 

“So, are you ready for tomorrow?” Sehun asked after swallowing a small sip.

“Yeah, as I’ll ever be. I’m so worried I’ll mess something up though.”

“Me too, but I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Sehun laughed warmly, “Even if you trip or something, I’m sure everyone will just think it’s cute.”

“Don’t jinx it!” Baekhyun laughed as well, “Now I’m going to trip.”

“You won’t, now that I mentioned it.” Sehun chuckled a little as he took another sip.

“Why? Because I’ll be paying special attention to it?” Baekhyun pushed out his lips in a pout, “I think that will just make it worse.”

Sehun swallowed quickly so he could laugh again, letting out a few bursts before speaking, “Don’t worry, I’ll think it’s cute.”

“It will be on TV though, and everyone will remember it forever!” Baekhyun smiled widely, honestly not that worried about it as long as Sehun thought it was cute.

“In a good way. I promise.”

“Sure.” Baekhyun giggled, bringing his glass to his lips.

Sehun turned to look at the clock, already knowing that it was late but still being surprised by the time. He sighed, wishing he had just a little more time to spend with Baekhyun. Sitting up from his comfortable position, he placed his glass on the table.

“Well, we really should go to bed. I’d feel bad if you were tired tomorrow.”

“I’m sure I’ll be tired anyway.” Baekhyun smiled, placing down his glass before removing the blanket wrapped around him, “Thanks so much for dessert.”

“You’re welcome, thanks for coming.” Sehun smiled back at him, grabbing the blanket from Baekhyun as he handed it to him.

They both stood up together, going over to the door. Once they were standing in front of it, Sehun gave Baekhyun a gentle hug, rubbing his back lightly before pulling away.

“Sleep well Baekhyun.”

“You too.” Baekhyun blushed, watching as Sehun opened the door.

Stepping out into the hall, Baekhyun gave Sehun one last shy smile before turning to leave. He walked slowly, looking down at his feet as he moved. He couldn’t help smiling a little to himself, trying his best not to trip.


	5. Sealed with a Kiss

Baekhyun was feeling oddly calm, a sense of peace and happiness washing over him as he stood outside in the castle garden. The fresh scent of spring flowers was wafting through the air, carried on a gentle, warm breeze. Baekhyun took a deep breath of it, smiling from the wonderful fragrance.

His expression was not missed by the photographers who were busy snapping pictures of him and the rest of the wedding party. The processional was about to begin, and everyone was already lined up and waiting to start their walk down the aisle. Baekhyun was behind them all, looking incredibly picturesque in his royal uniform. His jacket was white, with gold embroidery decorating the front, along with a black trim accenting the collar and the end of the sleeves. He stood out well against the backdrop of the garden, but in the most flattering way possible. The smile on his face added one last touch of beauty to the already stunning vision of him.

But his attention was soon torn away from the scent of flowers as he heard voices suddenly begin to fill the air. The melodic song of a choir rang out from the courtyard of the castle, signaling the start of the ceremony.

He watched as his mother and grandparents left first, disappearing around the corner to walk down the aisle. The rest of the wedding party followed behind them slowly, taking careful steps until they also disappeared out of Baekhyun’s sight. He kept his eye on his sister and Chanyeol in particular, the maid of honor and best man. Baekhyun bit down on his lip tightly to try and fight back any tears that might appear in his eyes, the sight of them walking together further solidifying just how close he was to joining his family with Sehun’s.

The last to go out before Baekhyun was the flower girl (a young girl who was a close relative to Baekhyun) and the ring bearer. The ring bearer was a very special guest, which they had to make special arrangements for. Sehun had asked Baekhyun a while ago if he’d be okay with the choice he made, and Baekhyun was very receptive to the idea.

Alongside the flower girl, Vivi made his way towards the aisle as well. He was wearing a bowtie around his neck, the rings attached to it. He had been practicing for this ceremony even longer than the rest of the wedding party, his trainers making sure he went down the aisle slowly and calmly to receive a treat at the end.

Baekhyun smiled brightly as he watched the small dog walk out of his vision. He was so glad Sehun suggested it, because he couldn’t imagine a better ring bearer for his wedding. He couldn’t wait to watch videos of the ceremony later, looking forward to Vivi’s part in particular.

Once Vivi reached the end, it was finally Baekhyun’s turn. The song the choir was singing slowly changed, the signal for Baekhyun to start. Taking a deep breath, Baekhyun collected himself before taking his first step, making a note to himself not to trip. His father joined his side, locking arms with Baekhyun as they approached the aisle.

Turning the corner, Baekhyun finally came into view of the courtyard and the stretch of wooden pews. Everyone turned to look at him, and Baekhyun smiled bashfully at them all. Glancing at Sehun last, he witnessed the gentle smile covering his face. He was wearing a similar uniform to his own, and Baekhyun took a moment to appreciate how handsome he looked.

Sehun watched Baekhyun closely as he began to walk down the aisle, admiring the beautiful person that he was about to marry. The vision of flowers and sparkling lights surrounded him on every side, a truly breathtaking moment to behold.

They kept their gaze locked with each other until Baekhyun was standing beside him, both of them seeming to be mesmerized. Slowly Baekhyun smiled, his face softening into the joyful expression that Sehun adored. He whispered to Sehun quietly, making sure they were the only two that could hear his voice.

“I didn’t trip.”

Sehun smiled back at him, trying his best not to break out into a laugh. As they stood together, the Officiant began to speak, making an announcement to the audience.

“Dearly Beloveds and Honored Guests, we are gathered here this day to witness the union of Prince Oh Sehun and Prince Byun Baekhyun in the bonds of holy matrimony. You have come here to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, to offer your support to this union, and to the alliance of the Obsidian and Cerulean thrones.”

Once the Officiant finished, he moved his eyes from the crowd to the couple standing before him. Sehun and Baekhyun turned to face each other, grasping onto each other’s hands. They shared a shy smile with each other, waiting for the Officiant to speak again.

“Prince Sehun, do you take Prince Baekhyun to be your lawful wedded husband?”

“I do.”

“Prince Baekhyun, do you take Prince Sehun to be your lawful wedded husband?”

“I do.”

"Do you together promise to cherish each other, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto each other, for so long as you both shall live?"

“We do.” Sehun and Baekhyun answered in unison.

“Do you together promise in the presence of the company assembled that you will at all times and in all circumstances, conduct yourselves toward one another as becomes husband and husband?”

“We do.”

Staring deeply into each other’s eyes, they both felt a blush growing on their cheeks, knowing their vows were next. Instead of personalized messages, they were traditional vows used for many centuries by other couples as well. However, they were alerted slightly to fit the unique situation. Neither of them were actually aware of what the other was going to say yet, since they weren’t familiar with the vows typically made during this kind of ceremony.

Sehun squeezed Baekhyun’s hands lightly for comfort, wetting his lips nervously before he spoke, “Today I give myself to you in marriage, to share the good times and hard times side by side. I humbly give you my hand and my heart as I pledge my faithfulness and loyalty to you. I promise to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live. Just as the ring I give you today is a circle without end, my bond with you is eternal.”

Baekhyun could feel his cheeks getting hotter, overwhelmed by the intimacy of Sehun’s vows. He froze still for a moment, getting lost in Sehun’s eyes, before he recovered enough to share his vows as well.

“I take you to be my husband, my constant friend and faithful partner. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to smile with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. All that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you. These things I give to you today, and all the days of our life.”

Sehun was equally affected by Baekhyun’s vow, each word sending a pound to his heart. Without realizing it, they had both tightened the grip on each other’s hands, squeezing onto them nervously.

Chanyeol knelt down to grab the rings from Vivi, who was seated patiently beside him, and then handed them to the Officiant. At last releasing their grasp, Sehun and Baekhyun took the rings from the Officiant.

“Let these rings represent the promises you have made here today, and always remind you of the vows you have taken. Let them be a symbol of your unbreakable bond and this new beginning of your life together.”

Baekhyun held up his left hand, watching as Sehun reached for it gently. Holding onto it, he slipped the ring onto Baekhyun’s slender finger. Baekhyun pressed his lips together in happiness as he stared at the ring, only admiring it for a moment before he went to put a ring on Sehun’s finger as well. Pushing it on carefully, Baekhyun kept his hands grasped onto Sehun’s when he was done, cherishing the precious moment.

“Prince Sehun and Baekhyun, you have expressed your loyalty to one another through the promises you have just made and the rings you have exchanged. It is with these in mind that I pronounce you married. You may now seal this union with a kiss.”

Removing their sight from the rings, they both looked up at each other, their eyes meeting in shared affection. Sehun moved slowly, continuing to hold onto Baekhyun’s hands as he leaned forward. Responding to his advance, Baekhyun shut his eyes, waiting until he felt a soft press against his lips. They held it for a long moment, listening to the song of the choir start again in celebration.

A rain of flowers fell down from the castle walls upon them, a shower of white petals encompassing their vision once they opened their eyes and pulled away from the kiss. They smiled at each other warmly before turning to face the audience, continuing to hold hands as they started to make their way down the aisle.

They smiled at the cameras and the company of their ceremony until they exited the gateway of the castle. Outside there was a horse drawn carriage waiting for them both, along with an entourage of horses and ceremonial riders. Climbing into the carriage together, Sehun and Baekhyun finally let go of each other’s hands as they waved to their family and friends.

Sitting side by side, they were paraded around the city together, continuing to wave at the large accumulation of people waiting outside to see them pass by. They were both smiling brightly, feeling the same amount of uncontainable joy.

Looking over at each other, their smiles became even more radiant. Upon making eye contact, Sehun instantly wrapped his arm around Baekhyun, puling him closer before waving to the crowd again. Baekhyun stayed pressed against him for the remainder of their ride, until they finally returned back to the castle.

The reception was being held in the grand ballroom, but before that, Sehun and Baekhyun were scheduled to take some photos in front of the castle together and with the close members of their wedding party.

At the end of their photo session, Sehun requested one last picture to be taken. Suddenly picking Baekhyun up in his arms, he brought him over to the entrance of the castle. Baekhyun blushed once he realized what he was doing, and smiled shyly as Sehun carried him towards the threshold. Wrapping his arms around Sehun’s neck, they posed together as Sehun took a step into the door.

Once they finally made it to the ballroom, everyone cheered and applauded their arrival. Numerous tables were situated around the edges of the spacious room, as well as a long table for the important guests positioned at the back. The center of the room was left open for dancing, a massive amount of space in comparison to a typical dance floor. The ceiling was high as well, and on either side of the room long stained glass windows decorated the walls. Elegant chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the entire room with their twinkling light.

Not long after Sehun and Baekhyun arrived, the music began to play for their first dance. Sehun took Baekhyun’s hand, leading him to the dance floor as everyone watched silently. Since both of them were princes, waltzing was something they were already versed in. They didn’t attempt any extravagant steps however, but their dance was more refined than a typical wedding ceremony. As they spun around the floor together, they maintained eye contact, smiling at each other the entire time.

Once they were done, everyone took their seats at their respective tables. A welcoming speech was soon made by both the kings, before the food was finally served. Feeling rather hungry at this point, Sehun and Baekhyun enjoyed their meal for a long while before it was eventually interrupted by their fathers again, wanting to make another speech, this time about the joy of joining their kingdoms together in this happy ceremony.

Dancing ensued again once the dinner was finished, in which Sehun and Baekhyun took time to dance with their parents. Everyone enjoyed the festivities for a while until the large cake was eventually rolled out.

Sehun and Baekhyun made their way over to it together, posing for a few more photos before it was sliced. Baekhyun admired the toppers on the cake, little figurines of him and Sehun in their wedding attire. Standing next to the cake, Baekhyun felt as Sehun came up close behind him, reaching his arms around Baekhyun so they could hold the knife together. Biting down his lip happily, Baekhyun enjoyed the feeling of Sehun’s embrace along with the sight of their matching rings.

The flash of cameras filled the room as they cut down into the cake together, the couple remaining still for a while to give the photographers a good chance to capture the moment. Working together, they attempted to remove the first slice of cake, laughing as they struggled to make it come out cleanly. Eventually getting it on a plate, they put down the knife to grab a fork instead. Sehun cut off the first bite, holding it up to Baekhyun’s lips. Baekhyun smiled as he opened his mouth, allowing Sehun to feed him.

Instead of doing the same, Baekhyun couldn’t resist the tradition of smearing frosting on his spouse’s face, despite it being a more formal wedding. He moved quickly, getting a swab on his finger before bringing it to Sehun’s face. Sehun looked shocked for a moment before he felt Baekhyun smear it on his cheek, and then let out a laugh once he realized what Baekhyun was doing.

Feeling like he was safe to do the same, he reached for a bit of frosting as well, and swiped his finger across Baekhyun’s face. Smiling and laughing with each other, they each brought their fingers to their mouths, licking off the remaining frosting.

Keeping the frosting on their faces, they took a few more photos, until a towel was brought to them to wash off. They helped each other wipe it off, and Baekhyun blushed happily as he watched Sehun carefully clean his face.

As the guests enjoyed their cake as well, Sehun and Baekhyun went around to greet each table together, thanking them for coming and allowing each guest to take a photo with them. It was at this point that the party began to wind down, and a few guests took their leave after they had been greeted by the newlyweds.

By the time they had finished speaking to everyone, the party was pretty much over. Making one last formal goodbye, Sehun and Baekhyun made their exit together. Leaving the ballroom, they walked down the hallway a bit before pausing to face each other. They both smiled wearily, able to tell that the other was also feeling rather exhausted at this point.

“I’m going to pass out the second I lay down.” Sehun laughed lazily.

“Me too.” Baekhyun answered with an equally lethargic laugh.

“…I’ve been meaning to ask you though…” Sehun replied as he slowly glanced down at his feet in embarrassment, “Now that you’re living here…There are a few options on what room you can stay in.”

Baekhyun held his breath for a moment, also feeling nervous about this topic. It was now or never. If he didn’t suggest sharing a room, it might never become an option again.

“…I figured I was moving into your room…I mean if you’re okay with it.”

Sehun smiled as he lifted his head again, relieved that Baekhyun actually brought it up first, “Yeah that’s fine, I was thinking that too, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be comfortable with it.”

“Of course. Honestly it would be kind of weird if we slept in separate rooms.” Baekhyun giggled a little, relief washing over him as well.

“Right?” Sehun laughed with him, “It would just feel wrong.”

“Definitely.” Baekhyun agreed with a few nods, still giggling quietly. He couldn’t believe Sehun felt the same way.

“What about tonight though? Where would you like to sleep?”

“What do you mean? It’s our wedding night.” Baekhyun grinned, trying his best to hide how nervous he was, “We can’t spend it apart.”

“Okay, come on. Let’s go to bed.” Sehun smiled, putting his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder as he started to lead him down the hall again. He was kind of amazed, he thought that conversation was going to be a lot more awkward.

Once they entered the grand chamber, Baekhyun separated from Sehun to go change quickly in his room. He felt like he was on cloud nine, giddy with excitement as he changed as fast as possible. He couldn’t stop smiling the entire time, putting on a large shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants.

He practically ran down the hall to get to Sehun’s room, walking at the fastest pace possible. Smiling brightly, he knocked on the door, waiting only for a small moment before Sehun opened it.

“Hi.” Sehun smiled as well, stepping aside to let Baekhyun in.

“Hi.” Baekhyun giggled as he bounced into the room.

Since both of them were eager to lay down, they didn’t hesitate to make their way over to Sehun’s bed. It was then that Baekhyun noticed Vivi, already asleep inside his own bed on the floor. Baekhyun went over to him first, petting him softly as he quietly thanked him for being their ring bearer. Sehun watched them both with an affectionate smile, waiting until Baekhyun was done before shutting off the light.

After climbing into the bed and getting comfortable under the sheets, they turned to face each other in the darkness. They both let out a relaxed sigh as they appreciated the comfort of the mattress, and remained quiet while their eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light. Eventually, they were able to make out the shape of each other’s face, and the warm smile on their lips.

Sehun couldn’t help noticing how tiny Baekhyun looked, the blanket once again bundled close around his neck. He desperately wanted to wrap his arms around him, but he felt like that would be pushing his luck with how well everything was already going.

“Goodnight, Oh Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun couldn’t hide the ecstatic expression on his face once Sehun said that, a wide grin growing on his lips as he answered him, “Goodnight Sehun.”

Sehun smiled at Baekhyun happily before shutting his eyes, taking another deep breath as he relaxed further into his pillow. He waited a few minutes to open his eyes again, wanting to get another look at Baekhyun before he fell asleep. Baekhyun’s eyes were closed now, but the giddy smile was still on his face.

Sehun admired him for a long while, thinking over everything that happened that day. He reminisced about their kiss the most, and couldn’t resist staring down at Baekhyun’s lips as he thought about it. Even though he felt incredibly grateful that he had the chance to kiss Baekhyun’s pretty lips, he still hoped that maybe one day, somehow, he’d be able to kiss Baekhyun again.

Little did he know, at that exact moment, Baekhyun was thinking the same thing.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Hi! I’m honestly impressed how fast I’ve been able to write these last few chapters ha ha. I just had these parts in my head so it was really easy to write. The next update might take me a little longer though, just as a warning. I hope you enjoyed all the fluff <3333**

**By the way, for their wedding outfits, this is what I was imagining :)**


	6. Newlyweds

It was still late at night when Baekhyun woke up from his dream, a little disoriented about where he was. However, it didn’t take long to remember, after spotting Sehun laying across from him in the bed. The excitement Baekhyun had when he originally fell asleep rushed back to him, and he smiled brightly as he admired his handsome husband.

_Husband_. This is something Baekhyun repeated to himself happily in his mind, still amazed that everything that happened yesterday wasn’t just a dream. Not only that, but he was going to be able to wake up every morning like this, and go to bed each night with Sehun by his side. And tomorrow, just to top everything off, they were going to leave for their honeymoon together. Baekhyun was having a difficult time concentrating on one wonderful thought at once, his head flooded with the happy reality that was his life now.

Watching Sehun sleep for a long while and continuing to spin over these thoughts, the desire to be closer to him grew with each passing second. Feeling brave (only because he knew Sehun was deep asleep) Baekhyun couldn’t resist scooting closer to Sehun underneath the sheets. It was his wedding night after all, and he was going to at least cuddle with his husband if nothing else. Moving slowly as to not wake Sehun, Baekhyun inched closer and closer to him until their bodies were pressed up against each other. With the utmost care, Baekhyun snuggled his head against Sehun’s chest, and raised his arm to wrap it around his body. It was so warm and comfortable, Baekhyun smiled in bliss as he relaxed against his husband, noticing how the difference in their size allowed their bodies to fit together perfectly.

Despite Baekhyun’s extreme caution though, Sehun began to stir, slowly becoming aware of the warm body holding onto him. Eventually opening his eyes, Sehun took a few moments to comprehend what was happening, until he glanced down to witness Baekhyun holding onto him. He held his breath as he stared at the top of Baekhyun’s head, and a blush appeared on his cheeks as he speculated how long they had been cuddling like this. He wondered if Baekhyun crawled over to him in his sleep, finding it easy to believe that Baekhyun would be the clingy type. Regardless of how it happened though, Sehun was thrilled to spend the night snuggling with Baekhyun like this, and carefully wrapped his arms around Baekhyun as well. Lowering his head to rest against Baekhyun’s, he pulled him a little closer, taking a deep breath of Baekhyun’s pleasant scent. He really hoped Baekhyun was clingy, because he wanted to spend every night like this.

Baekhyun’s heart started pounding once he felt Sehun put his arms around him, wondering if it was just a reaction in his sleep to Baekhyun’s embrace, or if he had possibly woken up. Whatever the reason was, Baekhyun had no intention of finding out. Even if Sehun had consciously decided to hug him back, Baekhyun was too embarrassed to expose himself. He didn’t want to stop cuddling with Sehun, and feared that bringing attention to it might end the wonderful moment. So instead, he remained silent, continuing to pretend as if he were asleep himself.

Holding onto each other and succumbing to the relaxing warmth, it didn’t take long for them to fall back asleep, a smile on both their faces. They drifted off with thoughts of the next day, excited to go on their trip together.

But this tender moment was not shared by them alone, and although they were able to drift back to sleep, their past identities remained captured in this moment. Combined with everything that happened yesterday, all this affection was getting difficult to bear, feeling embarrassed for their own selves more than anything else.

Aside from brewing in their unpleasant thoughts though, they couldn’t help feeling amused about the situation as well. After all, getting to watch each other act so lovingly was a constant source of vengeance.

In the morning, it was Baekhyun who woke up first, before the alarms on their phones even went off. He was still in Sehun’s arms, cuddled up close against him. He could feel Sehun inhaling and exhaling slowly, obviously still deep asleep. Baekhyun smiled as he listened to his breath, snuggling his cheek against Sehun’s chest. He stayed this way for many long minutes, cherishing the moment until the inevitable and obnoxious ring came from both their phones.

It was then that Sehun finally woke up as well, opening his mouth in a wide yawn. He stretched his body for moment, reaching for his phone and shutting off the alarm, before returning his arms around Baekhyun again. Keeping his eyes shut, he mumbled to Baekhyun in a tired voice.

"Good morning."

Baekhyun’s phone was still ringing, but he didn’t want to move out of Sehun’s arms, and ignored the annoying sound as he answered him in a bashful voice.

"Good morning.”

Noticing that Baekhyun was trapped in his embrace, Sehun reached behind Baekhyun to grab his phone for him, hitting the stop button. He yawned again, before rubbing his eyes and looking down at Baekhyun.

“We have an early flight, don’t we?”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun smiled, enjoying the groggy expression on Sehun’s face, “We can’t really sleep in.”

Sehun nodded, closing his eyes as he did so, still trying to fight off his weariness. Even though he was looking forward to today, he didn’t want to move. He wished he had more time to stay in bed and snuggle with Baekhyun, especially considering he wasn’t sure how often it might happen. However, he didn’t want to be responsible for delaying their trip either, and only treasured the moment for a second more before forcing himself to sit up. Bringing his hands to his face, he rubbed his eyes as he felt Baekhyun shifting in the bed beside him.

Staying next to Sehun, Baekhyun smiled as he watched him struggle to wake up, wondering if Sehun wasn’t much of a morning person, or if he was still tired merely because of all the activity the other day. 

“We can sleep on the plane at least.” Baekhyun tried to console him with a warm laugh.

“That’s true.” Sehun smiled back at him, lowering his hand away from his eyes.

As Sehun laid his hand down on the sheets, Baekhyun followed it with his eyes, admiring the ring on Sehun’s finger. Eventually glancing down at his own hand, Baekhyun clutched onto the blankets as he stared at his matching golden band. 

“Come on, let’s get ready.”

A honeymoon seemed like an odd thing for a political marriage to even include, but Sehun and Baekhyun’s parents were determined to portray the couple in a positive light, and wanted them to be seen together by the public as much as possible. Spending a vacation together in a tropical paradise was the perfect atmosphere for them to bond and spend some happy moments together, which is exactly what their parents wanted. Without telling either Sehun or Baekhyun, they had sent their own paparazzi to follow the newlyweds, commissioning them to take some photos of their trip to share with the press.

The photographers were pleasantly surprised how quickly they were able to get some tender shots of the couple, not expecting to capture anything on the plane ride over. Exhausted and still needing a few hours of sleep, it didn’t take long for Sehun and Baekhyun to drift off in their seats, slowly leaning against each other for support. For a majority of the ride, they remained resting this way, Baekhyun’s head on Sehun’s shoulder and Sehun’s cheek pressed against Baekhyun’s hair.

These photos were sure to add fire to the already explosive reaction online to the royal couple’s wedding. Thanks to their affectionate smiles and blushing expressions throughout the ceremony, it was becoming a popular conspiracy that Sehun and Baekhyun were actually in love with each other, and that they had secretly been together even before the engagement. Their fans were starting to wonder if the wedding was actually arranged at all, feeling more like the alliance of the two kingdoms was just a benefit to their marriage. Some even believed the treaty only came about thanks to Sehun and Baekhyun’s relationship.

Sehun and Baekhyun had no idea such a storm was brewing online, since they hadn’t had time to check anything yet after the ceremony, and subsequently fell asleep on the plane. Even after they eventually woke up, they were only able to eat a small meal and talk with each other for a little while before for it was time to land.

It wasn’t until they were riding in a limo to their vacation house that Baekhyun and Sehun bothered to check their phones, realizing it would be a while until they arrived. They sat next to each other silently, scrolling through their timelines and notifications until it became increasingly clear just how escalated the situation had become online. Without wanting to alert each other, they secretly examined the “evidence” their fans had collected, which pointed out particular moments from the ceremony.

First and foremost were simply photos of their faces as they stared at each other, which was pretty difficult to argue against how enamored they appeared. Looking at it from this perspective, it did make Sehun and Baekhyun blush, even though they still doubted it was anything like that. They knew more than anyone how easy it was to construe photographs, with spilt seconds captured to feel like elongated moments. Still, they couldn’t help being affected by the look in each other’s eyes, wishing that it was really true.

The photos of Sehun carrying Baekhyun over the threshold and them wiping frosting on each other’s faces were other highlights of discussion, since both of these moments were completely unnecessary. Baekhyun was too swept away in the moment to think anything of it at the time, but even now he still felt like Sehun was just trying to be fun. Same with the frosting from the cake, they were just playing around with each other, at least that’s what they thought.

But the major point of interest was the kiss, considering everyone was surprised it was included in the ceremony, not to mention how happy Sehun and Baekhyun looked to kiss each other and how long they held it. There were many animated gifs made of the moment, and both Sehun and Baekhyun found themselves watching it over and over again, with their faces getting more red with each replay.

It wasn’t until they heard grumbles of displeasure from their past selves that they finally stopped, almost forgetting that Seuta and Boseong had been watching everything. It had been so quiet during the entire wedding, and their excitement for the occasion overshadowed the thought of their alternate identities. It was in that moment that they realized the peace of their relaxing honeymoon was in jeopardy.

Unable to look at their phones anymore, and stressing about the possible issues that could occur, they waited silently as the limo approached their destination. More impressive than the luxurious building itself was the large waterfall situated near the vacation home. The cascading falls were visible from practically every window, the wide panes allowing the maximum view of the gorgeous landscape, including a shot of the nearby shore as well. It was certainly a romantic getaway fit for royalty, the entire area reserved for just the two of them.

Stepping out of the car, they admired the view with awe on their faces as their attendants brought their luggage inside. Even though they were both well traveled, they were still impressed by their surroundings. It was possibly the most beautiful place either of them had ever visited.

“This is amazing.” Baekhyun smiled as he looked over at Sehun, “I don’t think a week is going to be long enough.”

Sehun nodded his head, continuing to stare at the building as he let out a relaxed sigh, “I agree.”

“Come on, I want to see inside.” Baekhyun encouraged Sehun to follow him with an excited wave of his hand as he hurried towards the door, moving past a few attendants who were still busy unpacking the car.

Sehun went after him, entering the house and following Baekhyun through the different rooms. There were only a few, since the majority of the space was one wide open room occupied by the living room and kitchen. Still, Baekhyun made numerous rounds to examine everything, popping in and out of each room with elated joy on his face. He couldn’t believe he was going to spend an entire week here with Sehun, his husband, all alone. Well, aside from Seuta and Boseong, but Baekhyun wasn’t concerned about that right now. There was nothing that could ruin his mood at the moment.  
Sehun had never seen Baekhyun act so excited before, and smiled to himself as he watched Baekhyun continue to bounce around. Bit by bit, he was slowly getting to see a more natural side to Baekhyun.

“What time would you like dinner served?” One of the assistants asked once they finished bringing everything inside.

Sehun looked over at Baekhyun to see how he felt, quietly making a decision together before answering. They were told there was a table prepared for them on the beach, and that a caterer would arrive to prepare everything for them. After relating a few more important facts about the property and the planned events for their stay, the assistants received thanks from the newlyweds before taking their leave.

Once they were gone, Baekhyun and Sehun stared over at each other with a bashful smile, feeling nervous now that they were alone.

“Are you still feeling tired?” Sehun asked, curious since he hadn’t regained that much energy himself. Traveling didn’t exactly help, and the time difference was always difficult to adjust to.

“A little.” Baekhyun smiled, “I think I’ll be fine after a good rest tonight though.”

“Same here.”

They paused their conversation to look outside, the sun already lowering in the sky to vanish below the horizon. They could hear the rush of water outside the window, the tranquil sound and the soft colors in the sky putting them in a relaxed mood. They spent a long while appreciating it, stepping closer to the window together to get a better view. The gentle crash of waves could be heard in the distance as well, along with a few cries from the native birds.

Eventually shifting his gaze, Sehun secretly stared over at Baekhyun standing beside him, admiring how cute he looked while he was concentrating on the view. His eyes were practically sparkling, and a small smile remained on his face as he appreciated every detail of the landscape.

Trying his best not to alert Baekhyun’s attention, Sehun reached into his pocket to grab his phone. Wanting to capture the moment before Baekhyun noticed, Sehun took the utmost care to stay out of Baekhyun’s vision as he raised his phone. It wasn’t until Baekhyun heard the snap of the camera that he realized he had been photographed, and he looked over at Sehun with a warm laugh.

Sehun laughed as well, his sight remaining on his phone as he began to post the photo on his social media. Baekhyun came closer to him to get a look at the photo, and smiled as he watched Sehun add the tag: #honeymoon. After Sehun was done posting it, Baekhyun stepped away from Sehun again.

“I need one too.” Baekhyun giggled as he reached for his phone, “Here, pose for me.”

Sehun glanced up at Baekhyun with a shy expression on his face, feeling embarrassed to be put on the spot like that. As he tucked his phone away in is his pocket he nervously tried to think of a pose to do.

Baekhyun noticed that he looked uncomfortable, and smiled at his shy behavior. It was a well known fact online that Sehun was an introvert, but Baekhyun had been to nervous himself to really notice it until now. Inviting Sehun with a pat of his hand, Baekhyun signaled Sehun to sit on the sofa near the window, hoping he’d feel a little less awkward if he was sitting down.

“Just sit here and look out the window like I was.”

Relieved by the offer, Sehun went over to the sofa to sit down, keeping his hands in his pockets as he gazed out the window. Luckily Sehun had a natural photogenic quality, and through the lens of the camera it was impossible to tell that he was nervous. It looked as though he were a professional, the way his face naturally rested was something that models actually practiced to achieve.

Baekhyun admired the vision of him on his screen for a moment before taking a few photos, changing the angle slightly each time to get a different perspective. Sehun’s chiseled expression eventually broke when he glanced over at Baekhyun, watching as he continued to photograph him. The corner of his mouth lifted into a subtle smile, his eyes softening from the sight of Baekhyun shuffling around. Even though he had a hard time receiving a lot of attention, if it was Baekhyun’s attention, he didn’t mind. In fact he liked it.

Walking along the beach together, they both watched their toes sink into the wet sand, a small splash of water rippling over their feet before receding into the ocean. After changing into some more comfortable clothes, they had decided to take a stroll on the shore before dinner.  
A pair of sandals were dangling from both their hands, the footwear removed not long after reaching the beach.

They could see their meal being prepared for them in the distance, and smell the appetizing fragrance wafting through the air. They could almost hear their food sizzling on the grill, although they were too out of reach to actually make out the sound. All they could hear was the occasional clank of a dish drowned out by the crash of the waves.

“So…I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Baekhyun spoke softly, his voice blending well with the gentle ambiance surrounding them, “What kind of things have you heard about me? Like from the media and stuff.”

“Nothing bad, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Sehun answered with a reassuring smile, “I think the media really loves you. And they should, you’re obviously a very kind person.”

Baekhyun smiled back at him, a powdery pink appearing on his cheeks from the compliment, “Same to you. I’ve only heard positive things about you.”

“Oh really? Good.” Sehun laughed, “I was getting worried why you had brought it up.”

“Oh, no, that’s not why.” Baekhyun laughed as well, “I just wanted to make sure we hadn’t heard any false rumors about each other. You know, stuff we could clear up.”

“Yeah, I understand…I think the media is too busy harassing my brother though. Since he’s first in line but he hasn’t gotten married yet.”

“Oh, right, I have seen that.” Baekhyun nodded slowly, remembering all the headlines he had seen, “It’s the same with my sister. She gets involved in a lot of dating rumors.”

“I guess we’re just too boring then.” Sehun laughed again.  
“I guess so.” Baekhyun giggled with him, swinging his arm to gently nudge Sehun’s leg with the sandals he was holding, “We’ve got a lot of attention now though.”

Sehun raised his eyebrows in realization, “That’s true. Have you seen all the conspiracies floating around about us online?”

Baekhyun’s breath halted for a moment, his stomach wrenching nervously from the mention of it, “…You mean the stuff about us being lovers before we were engaged?”

“Yeah, the media is eating it up too. We’re probably going to have to address that in an interview at some point.”

Baekhyun gulped, his heart ponding at even the thought of discussing things like that in an interview, “…I hadn’t thought of that.”

“At least it’s nothing bad though. It’s better than the public thinking we hated each other.” Sehun smiled, glancing over at Baekhyun endearingly, “I’m actually glad they’re looking at it this way.”

“Me too.” Baekhyun agreed, giving Sehun a weak smile. Although he was happy, it still made him feel nervous, knowing everyone’s eyes were on them. It wasn’t going to be easy to hide his feelings from the entire world.

Sehun stopped moving, turning his body to face towards Baekhyun fully. Baekhyun noticed and stopped as well, looking back at Sehun curiously. It seemed like Sehun had something on his mind, and he stared at Baekhyun a moment more before he eventually spoke again.

“You pucker your lips when you talk. It’s really cute.”

Baekhyun let out a small laugh, nodding his head, “Oh yeah, I do. Everyone online likes to point that out.”

Sehun smiled at him affectionately, keeping his eyes on his husband’s small lips. He felt blessed that he had the privilege of kissing his puckered lips before, that he knew how soft and plump they felt. He felt blessed that Baekhyun’s adorable lips belonged to him, regardless of whether or not he’d be able to kiss them again. As long as Sehun had the memory of it, he would be happy.

“Oh, looks like our dinner is ready.” Baekhyun spoke with another pout of his lips, noticing one of their attendants walking across the beach to approach them.  
Sehun lingered on Baekhyun’s mouth a second more before turning his head to look as well. Continuing to walk further down the beach, they met halfway, and then followed the attendant to their table. As usual, Sehun pulled Baekhyun’s seat out for him before sitting down himself. Their food was already siting on the table, and soon they were left in privacy to enjoy their meal. Baekhyun smiled brightly as he took in the entire view. The ocean, the beach, the tableful of delicious looking food, and his husband sitting across from him. 

He watched as Sehun reached for his glass, raising it up to make a toast, “To our happy marriage.”

Baekhyun bit down on his lip in joy, raising his glass as well to clank against Sehun’s, “To our happy marriage.”

“Do you mind if I sleep with my shirt off?”

Baekhyun almost choked on the toothpaste in his mouth. His hand stopped moving as his eyes shifted to the reflection of Sehun in the mirror. He was already sitting in bed, staring at Baekhyun as he waited for an answer.

“I just don’t really like sleeping with clothes on.”

With a blush, Baekhyun nodded his head a little, speaking with toothpaste still in his mouth.

“I don’t mind.”

Sehun smiled at the sight of spit dripping off his lips, once again enjoying the privilege of seeing this more natural side of Baekhyun. Grabbing the hem of his shirt, he began to pull it over his head, not noticing that Baekhyun was still watching him. Attempting to brush his teeth, Baekhyun watched Sehun the entire time, his eyes bulging from the sight of Sehun’s toned body. He had only seen it in magazines before, in the rare photoshoots Sehun had done and some shots of him at the beach taken by paparazzi. But nothing compared to seeing it in person, and Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself from staring.

It wasn’t until Sehun got under the covers that Baekhyun was finally able to concentrate on brushing his teeth again. Shutting off the lights, he joined Sehun in bed, crawling under the sheets to lay facing him. Sehun was facing him as well, and once their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they noticed they were staring at each other.

It was then that Baekhyun noticed how nervous Sehun looked. He had never seen Sehun turn so red before, it was obvious he was extremely embarrassed to say whatever it was that was on his mind.

“Is something wrong?” Baekhyun eventually asked, realizing Sehun was having trouble speaking.

“Ah, no…I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Go ahead.” Baekhyun responded curiously.

Sehun took a deep breath, gulping a little as well as he tried to think of how to start, “…When we were cuddling this morning…I really liked that. It was nice.”

“It was.” Baekhyun smiled brightly, glad that Sehun felt the same way, “I liked it too.”

“Good.” Sehun answered stiffly, clearly still nervous, “So you wouldn’t mind doing it again?”

“No.” Baekhyun replied as he bit down on his lip for a moment, trying to contain his excitement, “I’d love to actually.”

“Me too.”

Sehun let out a long exhaling breath, becoming increasingly nervous as he finally came upon the topic he wanted to discuss. He was tempted to end their conversation there, but he feared if he didn’t say what he wanted now, he’d never get the courage to bring it up again. Staring at Baekhyun’s face, he found comfort in his smile, and eventually forced himself to speak again.

“…I don’t want to sound creepy…but…I wanted to let you know…since we’re married now and sworn to each other and everything. That if you’re ever feeling…lonely…I’m open to having a physical relationship with you…If that’s something you’d want.”

Baekhyun went completely still, staring back at Sehun with wide eyes. Gazing at the perfection of his husband and processing the offer he had just made him, he was sure he must have misinterpreted what Sehun said. But going over it again and again, Baekhyun couldn’t think of an alternate meaning.

Anxiously waiting for Baekhyun’s answer in a long break of silence, Sehun immediately regretted what he had just said. He gave Baekhyun an apologetic look, wishing he had just kept his mouth shut.

“I’m sorry. Forget it, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I just thought-”

“No no, don’t be sorry!” Baekhyun cut him off, realizing how long he had left Sehun hanging, “I want to- I mean, I’d be open to that too, if you want that.”

It was Sehun’s turn to be baffled, and he paused for a short while as he let Baekhyun’s words sink in, “Oh…Really?”

Baekhyun felt blood rushing to his cheeks, and he clutched onto the blanket, bringing it closer to his face as he whispered quietly, “…Yeah…I think that would be a good idea.”

“Okay.” Sehun replied bashfully, relieved that Baekhyun was fine with all this, especially considering they were both men. He really thought Baekhyun might get weirded out, but it seemed that he understood the importance of it as well. After all, they had basic needs, but getting caught with someone else would be catastrophic to their kingdoms’ treaty. Not that Sehun wanted to be with anyone else, but he wasn’t going to mention that part.

Raising his arms, Sehun wrapped them around Baekhyun’s waist, scooting closer to him as he simultaneously pulled him closer. He felt Baekhyun snuggle against him, and Sehun rested his chin on top of Baekhyun’s head.

“Feel free to hug me and stuff whenever you want.” Sehun whispered softly, his breath lifting tufts of Baekhyun’s hair as he spoke.

Baekhyun nodded his head, too overwhelmed to answer, his face currently pressed against Sehun’s bare chest. He wasn’t sure how long it would take him to adjust to the idea of being able to hug and touch his crush whenever he wanted, but he was definitely looking forward to it. However, that meant the danger of Sehun discovering his true feelings was a stronger possibility now. He couldn’t be too eager with his affection, otherwise Sehun would certainly notice how much Baekhyun enjoyed it.

But right then, Baekhyun wasn’t going to hold back. He dragged his hands around Sehun’s body as well, appreciating the feeling of his muscles as he squeezed onto his back. It was a good thing Sehun couldn’t see his face, because his expression would have instantly given him away. The rosy color of his cheeks, the dreamlike joy sparkling in his eyes, and the smitten smile covering his lips. There was nothing stopping Baekhyun from indulging in the moment. He was pretty sure he could stay this way forever.

Cherishing the moment as well, Sehun raised his eyes to glance at the mirror in the room, wanting to stare at the vision of Baekhyun cuddled up in his arms. He couldn’t help smiling as he admired their reflection, wishing he could somehow take a picture of it. 

Unfortunately for them both, the moment didn’t last much longer. For reasons Baekhyun didn’t understand at first, Sehun suddenly pulled away from him. He glanced up at Sehun curiously, wondering if something was wrong, only to witness the different color of Sehun’s hair, and the irritated expression on his face.

Panic flashed in Baekhyun’s eyes before Seuta snapped to grab him, forcing him to sit up. With another aggressive tug, he twisted Baekhyun around, so that his back was pressed against Seuta’s chest. Keeping one of his arms tightly wrapped around Baekhyun’s body, he brought the other to Baekhyun’s face to hold onto his chin.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked in a terrified voice, struggling to escape Seuta’s grasp, “Please don’t hurt me!”

Seuta smirked with twisted satisfaction, sinking his face closer to Baekhyun’s ear as he whispered to him, “I’d love to hear you beg more, but I need to speak with Boseong.”

Suddenly yanking Baekhyun’s face, Seuta forcefully directed Baekhyun’s attention to the mirror on the wall. Baekhyun stared into the glass, witnessing the vision of Seuta holding onto him, before he eventually locked eyes with himself. As he did, his appearance changed like usual, but his black hair didn’t return in the reflection. The platinum shade remained, as Boseong now sat on the bed trapped inside Seuta’s arms. 

“You idiot!” Boseong shouted in anger as he snapped away from Seuta, pushing him aside with a strong thrust of his arm, “Now they’ll know how it works!”

Seuta smiled at him in amusement, tilting head lazily as he leaned back on the bed, “You didn’t have to switch, you did that on your own.”

“It was obvious you were going to tell him anyway.” Boseong answered quietly, a hushed rage lingering over his words as he stared off into an empty part of the room.

“It’s not like they can stop it. They’re not going to avoid their reflection for the rest of their life.”

Boseong fumed for a moment more, knowing Seuta was right, “What do you want?”

“I think we both know we have a lot to talk about.” Seuta replied in a playful tone, raising one of his knees to rest his arm on top of it, “Fate is such an interesting thing, isn’t it? To think that after all this time, we would meet each other again, and you would become my little wife.”

Boseong slowly turned his face to look over at Seuta, giving him a malicious glare. He was too furious to say anything, more at his other self for embarrassing him like this.

“I love how you offered that by the way.” Seuta continued, gloating in Boseong’s upset expression, “It wasn’t like there needed to be enforced roles. You just really wanted to be the bride, didn’t you?”

“It was Baekhyun’s stupid idea, not mine.” Boseong snapped, “He was just willing to play that part because he thought it would help everything go more smoothly. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Seuta let out a small laugh, never seeing Boseong act so defensive before, “Doesn’t it though? I think it means a lot. And it’s still you, so don’t try to blame it all on Baekhyun.”

“Is that so?” Boseong asked in a cold voice, eager himself to discuss some things with Seuta, “What about you then? So terrified of ghosts that you can’t even sleep by yourself at night? Isn’t that cute?”

“That’s different.” Seuta retorted, sitting straight again to threaten Boseong with a direct stare into his eyes, “You know something ridiculous like ghosts doesn’t scare me. I can’t be held accountable for Sehun’s pampered life.”

“But you can be held accountable for his feelings.” Boseong smiled playfully, knowing that Seuta couldn’t back out of this one, “You seem more than willing to get physical with me. I never realized you had a thing for men.”

Seuta sneered back at him, giving Baekhyun a bitter look with his eyes as well, “You can’t blame him, he’s stuck with you for the rest of his life. He has needs like everyone else.”

“I don’t think he views it as ‘stuck with me.’ I’ve seen the way Sehun looks at me.” Boseong answered with a tilt of his chin, lowering his eyelids into a seductive gaze, “The amount of love and affection in his eyes is impossible to miss.”

Seuta’s expression turned into a smug smirk, and he relaxed his body once again to lean back on his hands, “You’re going to go there, huh? That’s brave of you, considering how in love with me you obviously are.”

“And what evidence do you have for that?” Boseong asked with a laugh, “People blush for more than one reason you know. He could just as easily be embarrassed or shy.”

Seuta kept an amused smile on his face, staring at Boseong for a long while before answering, “Fine, I guess we’re at an impasse then. We can’t say anything for sure unless you actually confess to me.”

“True. We’ll just have to wait until Sehun decides to reveal his feelings.”

Seuta laughed, confident that Sehun wouldn’t risk exposing his feelings anytime soon. Still, he wasn’t positive that Baekhyun would either. But he was more determined than ever to get an answer, if it meant finally getting revenge against Boseong.

“You can’t protect Baekhyun from me. He’s going to be so easy to break. You won’t be able hide the truth for long.”

The confidence in Boseong’s eyes changed into a look of anger, and he gave Seuta a seething glare to hide his own insecurity. But Seuta was unthreatened by it, and merely smirked back at him.

“Tell me, _your Majesty_ , are you just as submissive as Baekhyun? Because I never took you as the type before, but now I have no doubt in my mind that you’d bottom for me.”

The anger in Boseong’s eyes intensified before he snapped up his arm, going to strike Seuta’s face. But before it could make contact, Seuta caught him, clutching Boseong’s wrist tightly in his grasp. He continued smiling at him, enjoying Boseong’s expression and the rage he felt trembling in his grasp.

“We’re running out of time.” Seuta informed him, knowing that Boseong must have been aware of it as well, “But I need to ask you something before we go.”

“What?” Boseong hissed, ripping his hand out of Seuta’s grasp.

“They’re going to keep asking about the past, so I’d rather just explain everything to them, and it would be convenient if we did it at the same time. We should do it tonight.”

Boseong went silent, thinking back on the past as he stared at Seuta’s face. He still couldn’t believe that after all this time he was looking at the same Seuta again. That for some twisted reason, fate had forced them together again.

“Fine. Tonight.”  
  
  
  
  


**Hello! First of all, thanks so much for reading as always! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter~ Please let me know what you thought below <33333**

**I’m sorry I’ve gotten behind on replying to comments again, I’m really the worst at this >.< But I’ve been really busy lately working on a project that you may have heard about if you follow me on twitter. Basically, there’s this app called discord, and I’ve been making this interactive library thing on it so it’s super easy to find Sebaek fics! I’ll put some pics below, but you guys should definitely check it out! Creating a discord account is really fast and simple, and I promise it’s worth it! You can get the app on your computer or the phone, and it should be available on pretty much every device. Click [here](https://discord.gg/gH8mKtC) if you’d like to join~ **


	7. The Beginning

As Sehun and Baekhyun both slowly regained consciousness, they heard a whisper in their thoughts, the voice growing louder until they finally opened their eyes again. Staring at each other without uttering a word, they realized they both must have been hearing the same message. They listened to their past selves carefully, learning that they had decided together to share the memories of their previous life.

“Did Seuta talk to you?” Baekhyun asked once Boseong was done explaining.

“Yeah…I guess our other selves had a chat with each other.”

“Seems like it.” Baekhyun replied as he crawled across the sheets, getting closer to Sehun to sit right beside him, “I guess we’ll just listen together then.”

“I guess so.” Sehun laughed, thinking how odd it would be to sit in silence together as they listened to the voice in their heads.

Baekhyun laid down first, staying next to Sehun as he got comfortable under the sheets. He had a few things he wanted to discuss with Sehun, but right then he was more interested in finally learning about the past, and decided to wait to talk about those topics later. He watched as Sehun settled into the bed as well, and then they both closed their eyes to concentrate on whatever memory Seuta and Boseong wanted to show them.

Boseong’s voice soon entered Baekhyun’s thoughts again, a bitter feeling lingering over his words as he began his story.

_“This is where it all started, the place where I first met Seuta.”_

A deafening roar of a crowd filled Baekhyun’s ears, the vision of a long forgotten location slowly materializing in his mind. A battle arena. A tournament. A crude form of entertainment. A fight to the death among the warriors inside. 

With his eyes still closed, Baekhyun reached for Sehun’s hand, wanting to keep the comfort of his husband through whatever unpleasant vision he was about to witness. He felt Sehun squeeze his hand back, simultaneously experiencing a similar image in his mind. 

By this time the memory of the battle had faded considerably, and many details of the fight were lost. But one thing remained cemented in Boseong’s mind forever. Among the chaos, screams, and struggle for victory, one man endured the fight without injury. The rest of the battle became a blur in Boseong’s mind, his attention solely focused on this one man alone. He stayed in the shadows, a bow in his grasp as he fired arrow after arrow at the other combatants. His skill was extraordinary. The speed at which he drew his arrows, the strength he needed for the distance of their flight, and the accuracy of his aim despite the turbulent atmosphere and constant moving of his targets. Boseong had never witnessed such talent.

It wasn’t long until the archer had the attention of the entire stadium, his performance something that was difficult to miss. One after one the competitors were slain, an arrow plunging into each of them before they fell to the ground. Everyone’s eyes moved to the source of the flying arrows, a booming cheer erupting from the crowd as they watched him continue to load his bow.

At last, only one other combatant remained, on the opposite side of the arena from the archer. The swordsman was baffled by the speed in which his competitors had fallen, but by the time he had registered the reason for their swift demise, it was too late. An arrow was already whizzing towards him.

Another loud roar of applause filled the stadium once he fell, and all eyes were on the archer as he lowered his bow. Boseong kept his eyes on him as well, failing to stand up and cheer with the rest of his subjects. He was mesmerized, in complete awe of the spectacle he had just witnessed.

With a loud burst of a trumpet, the archer’s victory was officially confirmed, and a shower of flower petals began to rain from the sky in celebration. He was called to come accept his reward at the royal box, a seating area reserved for Boseong and his father. The hooded figure ascended the rows of seats to meet them, the crowd around him continuing to cheer for his victory. At last, after a long climb, he reached the royal family. He bowed to them in respect, kneeling on the ground for a long moment before finally standing again. It was then that Boseong got his first look at Seuta’s face. Piercing eyes veiled by the shadow of his hood, a cold expression on his face that was unbefitting of a champion. 

It was Seuta’s first time laying eyes on Boseong as well, and he kept his gaze locked with him for an extended amount of time, studying his every feature. The prince’s petite body hardly filled the large throne he was sitting in, but his authoritative demeanor more than made up for his lack in size. There was a formidable aura surrounding him, the black uniform of the Obsidian Kingdom he was dressed in only adding to his dark energy. In contrast, his hair had the radiance of an Astral, with two braids falling from one side of his neck. Tails of shining hair laid on his shoulder, accompanied by a long chain dangling from his face. Tucked behind both his ears, the chain settled on the bridge of his nose, draped across his cheeks. This was not the only jewelry he wore, his fingers and wrists also adorned with silver bands. His appearance truly befitted royalty, his unparalleled beauty synonymous with the throne.

“What is your name?” The King asked, a large smile covering his face from the pleasure of witnessing such an amazing fight.

“I never had a name.” Seuta replied, his gaze finally breaking from Boseong to stare at the King, “But my friends call me Seuta.”

“Seuta? That’s an unusual sounding name.”

A cold smile grew on Seuta’s face, but he did not answer. An announcement was made to the crowd by the King, proclaiming Seuta the victor of the tournament and worthy of his royal gift. A servant soon came bearing the reward, holding a pillow with a sword laying on top of it. It was a beautifully crafted weapon, forged specifically for the victor of the tournament.

Bowing again, Seuta extended his hands as the King laid they sword in his grasp. Boseong remembered the rain of flower petals still falling, the excited cheer from the crowd, and the proud expression on his father’s face.

With a swift movement, the joyous moment vanished. A stream of blood filled Boseong’s vision, a fatal thrust of Seuta’s blade taking his father’s life. The hood covering Seuta’s head was thrown back from the the action of his sudden attack, and Boseong’s eyes widened in shock as the silver color of his hair was revealed.

“Why?” Sehun interrupted the story in a distressed voice, disturbed to learn that he had ever done such a cruel thing.

_“Why?”_ Seuta repeated, a chilling lack of empathy present in his voice, _“I spent my entire life preparing for this moment. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to assassinate the King. To avenge my mother.”_

More memories began to flood Sehun’s mind, rapid thoughts that passed as Seuta continued speaking. Brief flashes of his previous life.

_“I was a bastard child, an embarrassment to the Obsidian throne. Although my mother was married to the King, she had been secretly meeting with the ruler of the Cerulean Kingdom, and I was their offspring. When my mother expressed her desire to be with him instead, the King became enraged, and so we were both banished. Taken to the far boundaries of the kingdom, my pregnant mother was abandoned to the wilderness.”_

Sehun’s heart grew heavy from the story, Seuta’s feelings affecting him as if they were his own. His anger was palatable, his frustration and sadness channeling to Sehun as he continued speaking.

_“The King claimed that she had been murdered, killed by assassins from the Cerulean Kingdom. A lie intended to start a war. And so, a war began. But my mother was unaware of any of this. She had been discovered by a pack of bandits. They took her in, pitying her pathetic fate. Unfortunately, she didn’t last long after I was born, and the bandits decided to raise me in her stead. They saw value in my Astral powers.”_

Faint moments from his childhood flashed in his head, happy memories of the time he spent learning how to fight and bonding with his new family. Sehun even witnessed the moment the bandits decided to give Seuta a name. Up until that point, they had always referred to him simply as “the child.” Although Seuta did not have a star on his left hand, signifying that he was the first incarnation of his Astral soul, the symbol was still synonymous with his lineage. And so, he was named “star,” in a foreign language they had become familiar with due to their travels. However, they were still unable to say it properly, and it became Seuta.

_“After I was old enough, they told me the story of my mother, and I vowed to get revenge for her. Until that moment, I imagined every arrow I fired and every swing of my sword was aimed at the King. But I failed to realize that by taking his life, I would gain a much stronger adversary. Immediately after slaying the King, Boseong withdrew his sword and began attacking me.”_

Sehun’s vision returned to the stadium, and he heard the furious cry from Boseong as he lunged at him with his blade. He watched the memory in awe, impressed by the grace and skill in which Boseong used his rapier. His movement was fast, forcing Seuta back with aggressive strikes of his blade. Silver tails of hair whirled through the air, almost acting as a distraction as Boseong relentlessly continued his attack. Sehun felt a chill run down his spine as he concentrated on the vision of Boseong’s face. His eyes were violent, a frightening determination resonating in them as he rushed at Seuta over and over again. It was hard to believe it was really the same Baekhyun Sehun had come to know and care for.

Seuta was barely able to keep up, using the heavier sword he had just received as a gift as his weapon. He was forced into a defensive position, doing his best to guard from Boseong’s attacks. Knowing that he was at a disadvantage, Seuta waited for an opening to make his escape. 

A mirage appeared in front of Boseong, a faint outline resembling Seuta’s appearance, a duplicate of his image. As Boseong turned his head to look where Seuta had vanished to, he was greeted with more copies of Seuta’s figure. By the time Boseong finally spotted the real Seuta, he was already running out of the stadium. Rushing after him, Boseong desperately tried to catch up, shoving his way through the crowd of chaotic bystanders.

_“…He escaped from me that day.”_ Boseong explained, the vision fading to black as he recalled another memory.

His father appeared in his thoughts, laying still with his eyes shut, surrounded by an assembly of people gathered to mourn his passing. Boseong stared down at him for a long while, eventually reaching forward to place a single flower in his father’s hands. As he listened to the prayers for his father’s safe ascension, he could feel a weight growing on his shoulders. Baekhyun felt it as well, a shadow looming over his thoughts, a suffocating darkness that seemed to slowly consume him.

_“The crown belonged to me now…And even though I was still rather young, I was expected to take my father’s place. In a time of grief, fear, and war, it was now my responsibility to guide my subjects to peace. But…I was not fit to be a king.”_

Baekhyun began to hear whispers coming from all around him, snide comments made by Boseong’s subjects and royal advisors. Words that seared themselves into Boseong’s memory.

_“Everyone doubted my ability to rule. They were rightfully scared. I had always been too softhearted for my father’s liking. More than once my weakness had been exposed to those around us. Rumors of my frailty had spread across the kingdom, and began to resurface again once it was my turn to take the throne. Not even my status as an Astral helped boost their confidence in me. Like a large majority of Astrals of my time, I did not bear the marking of a star on my left hand. I did not possess the experience and wisdom of our ancestors, and relied on my powers alone to give me strength. But having strength and wielding it are two very different things, and my inability to defeat Seuta after my father’s death only helped seal this fact in my subjects’ minds. Before my coronation had even taken place, I was already viewed as a failure of a king.”_

A vision of Seuta surfaced in his mind, a faint image of his face that came in and out of focus. It didn’t seem to be a particular memory, just a thought passing through his mind as he continued speaking.

_“I was determined to gain my subjects respect. It was obvious what I needed to do to repair my tarnished reputation. I needed to find Seuta again, and in the eyes of my kingdom, extinguish the life of the man who killed their king. But aside from that, I was interested in learning more about Seuta anyway. About the Astral that didn’t belong to a royal family. It made me dislike him even more, the fact that he wasn’t tied to any obligations or duties like I was. That he somehow obtained freedom from the chains of our bloodline.”_

Baekhyun watched as a group of soldiers approached Boseong, kneeling before him as they waited for his orders. Even in his short memory, Baekhyun could still feel a burden weighing on him. It seemed like it had become heavier.

_“Far and wide I had my men search for Seuta, trying to locate a man with silver hair mingled amongst the common peasants. They questioned everyone they came across, trying their best to learn about his whereabouts, but no one knew anything about the mysterious Astral.”_

“Your Majesty.” Baekhyun heard a man’s voice, and then the vision of him slowly appeared. It was the captain of Boseong’s army, his decorated armor signaling his elite status, “We found him. It seems that he is the leader of a pack of lowly bandits.” 

“Bandits?” Boseong asked, at last confirming that Seuta’s rank was of no importance. That he had been wondering around freely all this time while Boseong was trapped in the prison of his castle.

“Yes, follow me. We have him locked in the dungeon.”

A torch appeared in Baekhyun’s vision, and a familiar scene began to unfold in his mind. Moving down a stone hallway, Baekhyun listened to his tapping shoes, the crackle of fire, and the occasional drip of water coming from the ceiling. As Boseong came to a stop, he reached forward, bringing light to the cell in front of him. Looking inside, he could see Seuta sitting on the ground, bound in shackles. Seeing that alone brought Boseong a small amount of pleasure. The light from his torch illuminated Seuta’s silver hair, along with the vision of his face as he slowly raised his head, a smirk appearing on his lips as he locked eyes with Boseong.

“Who are you?” Boseong asked, gripping tightly onto his torch in anger, “Who are your kin?”

“My kin?” Seuta replied with a scoffing laugh, “Your father made sure I never had any kin.”

“Answer the question!” Boseong shouted back at him, having no patience for his roundabout response, much less involving his father, “Which bloodline do you hail from?”

Seuta let out a small laugh again, lowering his eyes, “Cerulean. But no one from that kingdom knows that I exist.”

“…Isn’t it better that way?” Boseong whispered, speaking more to himself than Seuta.

“What was that?” Seuta asked, resting his head against the wall as he stared at Boseong with a dull expression, “Speak up, I didn’t hear you.”

“…You are just a lowly thief.” Boseong replied with a dark gaze, his hatred for Seuta growing by the second, “Know your place and address me accordingly.”

Seuta smiled, his carefree attitude adding further insult to injury, “I will never bow down to you, or any ‘royalty’ for that matter. It’s you that should remember your place. You’re just a stuck up brat who was fed off a silver platter his entire life.”

“Silence!” Boseong shouted, grabbing onto the bars of Seuta’s cell and giving it a violent push, the sound of rattling metal resonating much longer than his own voice. Gritting his teeth, Boseong remained silent for a moment in anger, lowering his eyes to stare at the floor. 

“…Your name.” Boseong eventually spoke again, his voice calmer than before, “Is it suppose to be star?”

“Yeah, apparently. I don’t think my friend’s can pronounce it very well.” Seuta glanced at Boseong’s left hand, noticing that he didn’t have a making on his skin either, “You’re Boseong, right?”

“It’s your Majesty to you.” Boseong answered bitterly, releasing his grip from the bar of the cell and lowering his hand, “Tomorrow, you will fight me in a one on one duel, and this time there will be no chance of escape. I’d say my goodbyes if I were you.” 

Turning his back to Seuta, Boseong began to leave, the ring of light fading from the interior of Seuta’s cell to leave him in darkness. His footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent dungeon, Seuta being the only prisoner trapped in the castle.

“Haven’t you realized?” Seuta’s voice came from the shadows, making Boseong halt, “I let your men capture me. I never intended on staying.”

Before Boseong could even turn his head or speak in response, he heard a loud explosion. Billowing smoke consumed his vision, a cloud expanding through the entire dungeon. Raising his hand to his face, Boseong coughed as he tried to get a look into Seuta’s cell. It was only once the smoke dissipated that Boseong was able to see that a large hole had been blown into the wall, and that Seuta was gone. Running to the cell, Boseong could see Seuta and his pack of bandits outside, escaping on horseback together.

_“I met with Boseong frequently after that.”_ Seuta elaborated, memories of their numerous visits flashing through his mind, _“We were both out to kill each other. It became a game of cat and mouse. He wanted to avenge his father, at least I assume that was his reason, and I just wanted to get him off my back. His men were constantly searching for me, and killing Boseong seemed to be the only way to end that. But we were too evenly matched, and our fights always ended in a draw. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy those quarrels, I actually had fun dueling with Boseong, and sometimes I’d show up just to blow off some steam. After all, he was the only person who matched my strength, and I was able to improve a lot thanks to his help.”_

Even in a memory, it was difficult to keep up with the speed of their clashing swords. Using their Astral powers, they continued to vanish and reappear in new locations, somehow keeping in time with each other. It almost felt coordinated, how well they were able to parry each other’s blades despite the inconsistency of their fight.

_“It was strange…I began to look forward to those battles.”_ Boseong admitted, remembering the duel fondly, _“Even though I hated him, in those moments I wasn’t concentrated on that. It was no longer about my father, or my reputation. I guess…when I was fighting with him like that…I got a taste of his freedom. It was comforting, that although he had a choice to live the way he wanted, he was there with me doing the exact same thing.”_

Recalling those thoughts, for the first time Baekhyun felt something other than anger or sadness in Boseong’s heart. He could tell, that this might have easily have been the happiest memories of his life. He watched silently as a series of flashbacks from this time continued to spill from Boseong’s mind. Brief recollections of Seuta calling out his name, the shout of displeasure from Boseong that would soon follow not carrying the same hatred that it had before. If Baekhyun had to describe it, the fleeting emotions he sometimes sensed from Boseong felt very similar to his own feelings for Sehun.

“Were you…In love with him?” Baekhyun bravely asked, afraid of how Boseong might react to that question.

_“Of course not.”_ Boseong replied in an irritated voice, _“Like I said, I hated him. Don’t confuse your feelings with mine. It was just that during this stressful time of war and doubt from my subjects, these fights were an appreciated escape, that’s all.”_

Baekhyun squeezed Sehun’s hand again, finding it more and more surreal that this was really the past they shared with each other. He didn’t want to believe it was true, that he really hated Sehun so much. Maybe he was projecting his feelings onto Boseong, because he didn’t want to believe he could ever feel otherwise towards Sehun.

_“Back then, I had no grudge against Boseong.”_ Seuta informed Sehun, his words sounding heavier than before, _“I had no reason to feel that way. But one day, that all changed.”_

A fire engrossed Sehun’s vision, hot flames rising into the air along with specks of ember. A tall blaze consumed the small encampment Seuta considered his home. Everything was burning, and Seuta could only watch in petrified agony as it turned to ash. He could see the fallen bodies of his comrades, of his friends, of his family. There was no one left. Seuta fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he let out a scream of pain.

_“If only I was there…I could have saved everyone. It was obvious from their wounds that they had been attacked by Boseong’s soldiers. Ambushed in the night while I was away.”_

Sehun could feel Seuta’s grief as he recalled the people close to him. The people he considered to be his brothers. In the morning, when the fire had dissolved, Seuta buried each one of them. With care and respect, he adorned their graves with large stones, the only marker he had to signify their grave.

_“I wasn’t going to hold back anymore. I vowed to kill Boseong once and for all.”_

A large battle engulfed both Sehun and Baekhyun’s vision, a scene from the war between the Cerulean and Obsidian Kingdoms. There were countless soldiers occupying the battlefield, a mass of men fighting against each other. Boseong was among them, the leader of his army in a futile battle. He knew before it even began that their possibility of victory was nearly impossible. They were outnumbered ten to one, and Boseong had no experience as a strategist in war. It was here that Boseong knew his life would most likely end. Although his skill outmatched those surrounding him, he couldn’t compete with an entire army.

Each minute felt like hours, a pointless struggle that seemed to drag on forever. Boseong was barely concentrating as he lunged forward with his blade, his mind focused instead on the moments he had cherished throughout his life. In his carelessness, he failed to notice an arrow flying towards him, something he was usually able to perceive and guard against. It plunged into his shoulder, making him stagger backwards. Holding onto his arm in pain, he glanced up to see a figure not too far from him, a bow in their grasp. 

_“I had never seen Seuta look at me that way before. I could tell he was furious. I’m not sure why he was there, or why he was so enraged, but I welcomed it. I didn’t want him to hold back. If I was going to die, I’d rather it was against him than anyone else.”_

Rushing forward, Seuta withdrew his sword, locking blades with Boseong as he raised his rapier in defense. They became focused solely on each other, the battle surrounding them fading into the background. Although Boseong was injured, it didn’t take long for Seuta to recognize an unusual pattern in Boseong’s technique.

_“He was being careless, sloppy even.”_ Seuta pointed out, remembering the many times Boseong failed to protect himself from an obvious attack, _“It became clear to me, that Boseong wanted me to kill him. I could see it in his eyes as well, that he had lost his will to live.”_

Injury after injury, Boseong felt his life draining away. He knew he couldn’t hold on much longer. Staring at Seuta, he could tell he was barely holding on as well. With the last of his strength, he lunged forward, thrusting his blade into Seuta’s chest. He heard Seuta let out a painful groan, before he crumpled to the ground. Pulling out his sword, Boseong stumbled backwards, also falling to the earth. They laid silently together, the war raging on around them as if they didn’t even exist. 

It was difficult for Sehun and Baekhyun to watch, but there was no way for them to prevent the memory from appearing in their mind. They each saw each other in their vision, laying broken on the ground. 

Sehun’s view eventually went dark as Seuta shut his eyes. It was his last memory. But for Baekhyun, there was one more moment Boseong had to share with him. As he lay dying, he kept his sight on Seuta, tears forming in his eyes from the realization that this was really the end.

Forcing himself to move, Boseong attempted to crawl across the battlefield, moving inch by inch until he was finally at Seuta’s side. Resting against him, Boseong reached for Seuta’s hand, holding onto it tightly as tears continued to stream down his face. He could tell that Seuta was already gone, but his presence alone brought comfort to him, just as he did in the numerous times they fought with each other. 

Baekhyun began to cry as well, unable to fight back the tears as he witnessed the tragic sight. He could feel how frightened Boseong was, how devastated he was to end his life so early. 

_“…Don’t try to look into it too deeply…I just didn’t want to die alone…that’s all.”_

Baekhyun let out a quiet gasp, his body trembling as more tears appeared in his eyes. Noticing that Baekhyun was sobbing, Sehun rolled on his side to grab onto him, holding him tightly against his body as he whispered soothing words of comfort.

“It’s okay Baekhyun. We’re okay now.”

Baekhyun nodded, burying his head against Sehun’s chest. He stayed in Sehun’s arms for a long while, crying softly as the memory of that night kept replaying in his mind. Sehun rubbed his back, whispering occasionally that he was here for him.

It was an odd feeling for Boseong, that the person to comfort him after all this time was none other than the future reincarnation of Seuta himself. That it was Seuta who was wiping his tears away so gently. That it was Seuta’s arms he found himself laying in again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I always include flashbacks in my stories? Someone remind me next time not to do that lol. It’s so difficult to write, especially this time with two people having flashbacks at once and four people in total reacting to it. I apologize that this took me a while…but it was a challenge for me to write properly lol….I hope it was enjoyable to read though, and that you guys are satisfied finally learning about Seuta and Boseong’s past. Was it what you were expecting? Please let me know what you guys think in the comments, I’d love to hear it! Happy Valentine's Day!


	8. A Different View

“Are you okay?” Sehun asked, noticing that Baekhyun had stopped crying. He continued to rub his back, staring down at Baekhyun’s face to try and see how he was feeling.

“Better, thank you.” Baekhyun raised his eyes, giving him a weak but genuine smile, “Sorry, that was just so hard for me to watch.”

“I understand, it was hard for me to watch too. But please don’t apologize. Never feel sorry for needing to cry. I’m here for you, okay?”

Baekhyun’s smile grew warmer, and he nodded his head a little in response. Staring at Sehun’s caring expression, it was still difficult for Baekhyun to believe that all the memories he had just seen were of Sehun’s former self. Although, Baekhyun could say the same thing about himself. Neither one of them acted very much like their past selves, and it was understandably difficult to comprehend they were the same people. 

“Are you tired?” Sehun asked, remembering how Baekhyun told him earlier that day that he was looking forward to a good night rest. After the story they just heard, Sehun assumed it must have been pretty late by now.

“I am, but I don’t think I could fall asleep yet.”

“Me neither.” Sehun sighed, rolling onto his back again to stare at the ceiling, “Too much to think about.”

Baekhyun hummed in agreement, his mind currently buzzing with all the memories from the past. But as much as he’d rather not think about it, he kept going back to the moment when he was holding Seuta’s hand. 

“Are you okay to talk about it?” Sehun asked cautiously after a while of silence between them, “I just think it would be a good idea to share our different perspectives, but it’s fine if you’d rather do it later.”

“I’m fine, we can talk about it now.” Baekhyun answered softly, rubbing his eyes to remove any remaining moisture, “I think it’s a good idea too.”

“Okay, I’ll go first.” Sehun offered, noticing that Baekhyun was still a little shaken, “…I guess we should start with the reason why I killed your father…Did Boseong ever know why I did that?”

“No, I don’t think he ever learned why.” Baekhyun answered curiously, rolling his head to look over at Sehun.

Sehun kept his eyes on the ceiling, carefully recounting everything to Baekhyun that Seuta had told him about his mother and the time he spent until the fateful day they met each other. Boseong listened attentively to the story as well, astonished to learn that his father had a different wife before he met his mother. His father never mentioned her to Boseong, and now that Boseong thought about it, he never knew the reason why the war began either. It seemed his father had many secrets that he hid from Boseong. Still, it didn’t change the fact that Boseong loved his father, and losing him was a tragic event in his life. Even if Seuta had his reasons for killing him, it was not something Boseong could easily forgive. Not only did it bring him grief, it prematurely forced Boseong into the role of king.

Sehun ended his story by telling the events of the fire at his camp. It finally made sense to Boseong why Seuta was so angry that night before they killed each other. He was completely unaware the ambush on his camp had happened, at the time he was far too busy attempting to prepare his people for war. However, he wasn’t surprised that he was never informed about such an event, his captain usually waited to tell him trivial things like that when there were less pressing matters at hand. And in the eyes of his captain, the extermination of a pack of bandits would have been low on the scale of importance at that time.

Once Sehun finished explaining, Baekhyun took a turn relating Boseong’s point of view. He went into detail describing Boseong’s burden as a ruler, and the constant pressure he felt from his subjects and the responsibilities of his position. He made sure to explain why Boseong was so determined to kill Seuta, that he had played a part in tarnishing Boseong’s reputation, along with taking the life of someone he cared for. Seuta was aware of the latter part, but he was surprised to learn that Boseong viewed his role as king as a burden more than a bestowal of power. He had come to believe that most rulers were thrilled to take the position of king, and sometimes even killed others to obtain the crown. In his eyes, royalty had everything. Power, luxury, and servants heeding to their every call. But it seemed like Boseong didn’t really care about those things, at least that was the impression Seuta was getting.

Baekhyun purposely didn’t mention the last moment of his life, or the comfort he found in fighting with Seuta, knowing that Boseong would rather keep those things a secret. He just wished that maybe with time, Boseong would tell those things to Seuta himself. He had hope that one day they could reconcile with each other, especially now that they had shared their perspectives on everything. Perhaps the gap between them had already started to mend.

Unfortunately, as much as Baekhyun and Sehun both hoped for this, that wasn’t really the case. Seuta and Boseong’s ambition for revenge had not waned. The pain of losing their loved ones could not be soothed simply by hearing a story. The facts remained, Seuta killed Boseong’s father, and Boseong ordered for the murder of Seuta’s comrades. It was not a simple matter of forgive and forget. In fact, recalling the past only helped rekindle unpleasant feelings.

“It’s so strange…” Sehun whispered faintly, his voice laden with exhaustion as his wariness set back in, “I just can’t think of us as the same people from back then.”

“Me neither…I can’t help feeling like we listened to a story about other people.”

Sehun rolled on his side again, staring at Baekhyun as his eyes lazily opened and closed a few times. Baekhyun watched his face, feeling equally as tired, also blinking a few times before rolling on his side as well. Facing each other, they eventually shut their eyes, unable to fight off their exhaustion any longer.

“I’m so glad though…That we met again.” 

Baekhyun listened to Sehun’s lethargic voice, before he felt Sehun wrap his arm around him, holding onto him gently as they both drifted off to sleep.

“…Me too.” Baekhyun mumbled, barely able to respond before his mind faded into slumber.  
  
  


———————

The memories of last night were far from Sehun and Baekhyun’s mind the next day as they enjoyed their vacation together. After sleeping in and eating a late breakfast, they eventually made their way to one of the activities already planned for them, a horse ride together through the tropical forest. They were accompanied by a single guide, who rode a distance in front of them to give them adequate privacy during the majority of the walk.

They spent most of their time admiring their surroundings and pointing out landmarks to each other to talk about briefly. Occasionally they would take some photos, smiling at each other bashfully as they listened to the snap of the camera. Arriving at a spot near a waterfall, the guide let them know that they were going to take a break to eat lunch.

Left alone on the bank of the water, they quietly enjoyed their meal as they watched the mist from the waterfall billow out across the stream. It was warm out, but under the shade of the lush green trees and immersed in the humidity by the stream, they felt comfortable.

“I could take a nap here.” Baekhyun sighed, wiping off his hands on a napkin after finishing his bite of food.

Sehun glanced over at him, noticing the luster of Baekhyun’s lips, glistening with the sweet juice from his bite of fruit. They were stained bright red, kissed by the crimson of strawberries. Sehun licked his own lips as he imagined how sweet Baekhyun’s might taste, keeping his eyes on Baekhyun’s mouth as he spoke again. 

“It would be nice to go swimming, that water looks so refreshing. Should we go swimming when we get back?”

The entire time Baekhyun spoke, his lips puckered like they always did, adorably pouting whenever a vowel sound came out. Sehun watched them closely, unable to concentrate on the words Baekhyun said. Instead he was remembering the agreement they made the other night, how Baekhyun was open to forming a physical relationship with him. They hadn’t made it clear amongst each other what exactly that meant and what their boundaries were, but Sehun couldn’t resist thinking about it in that moment.

Baekhyun turned his head to look over at Sehun once he realized he wasn’t responding, only to be greeted with the burning expression in Sehun’s eyes. He gulped nervously, his heart pounding as they kept their gaze locked with each other. Baekhyun’s breath slowed down to almost a stop, watching as Sehun leaned closer to him. The distance between them gradually disappeared, and as their faces grew closer to each other, Baekhyun heard Boseong start shouting in his mind.  
  
__

_No! Stop! Slap him! Get away!_

Baekhyun ignored himself, shutting his eyes as he allowed Sehun to close the gap between them. He felt a soft press against his lips, and his heart pounded again as Sehun reached up to hold onto his face, pulling them even closer together. It was a delicate kiss, but there was a fiery passion behind it. Baekhyun could sense it, the hunger and yearning that Sehun was trying his best to hold back. It made Baekhyun melt, his body going numb the longer Sehun held the kiss.

It was incredibly tantalizing, the hint of strawberries Sehun could taste on Baekhyun’s lips. Moving his mouth, Sehun gently sucked on Baekhyun’s lower lip, pulling on it slightly before finally breaking the kiss. Licking his own lips, he got another taste of sweetness. Opening his eyes, he stared down at Baekhyun, waiting for him to open his eyes as well, but he seemed to be in a daze. He remained completely still, his mouth parted and cheeks flushed with color.

“…Sorry.” Sehun exhaled nervously, “…I just…felt like kissing…”

Baekhyun blinked open his eyes, shaking his head vigorously in response, “No no, it’s okay. We agreed it was fine to do stuff like that, right?”

“Well, yeah…but…I don’t know what you’re comfortable with. We didn’t really set any boundaries.”

There was a visible blush on Sehun’s face as well, and he broke his gaze with Baekhyun to look at the stream instead. Pressing his lips together, he could still taste strawberries.

Baekhyun lowered his eyes, taking a few heavy breaths as he tried to gain the courage to speak again, “…I assumed we wouldn’t have any boundaries.”

Sehun looked back over at Baekhyun in surprise, staring at him for a moment before he answered, “…Okay. That’s what I was thinking too…I just wanted to double check.”

Boseong and Seuta both had a thing or two to say about this, and scolded themselves in their minds for a while about acting so irrationally. They didn’t understand how they could easily ignore everything that happened in the past. It seemed like their perspective of each other hadn’t changed at all, and in fact they were only becoming more affectionate towards one another.

Kissing each other so intimately like that was a very odd sensation for Seuta and Boseong to experience. Compared to the innocent kiss at their wedding, this one was much more difficult to tolerate. The kiss at their wedding was mandatory, they knew it was coming, and they were prepared for it to happen. But this was different. Not once did they ever imagine they would one day be locking lips with each other so passionately.

Like usual though, more than their own irritated feelings about the situation, they felt embarrassed that they were acting so vulnerable and loving in front of each other, even _towards_ each other. Seuta was mortified that Boseong experienced him suck on his lip like that, and it made him want to expose Baekhyun’s feelings right then and there just to make up for it. 

Boseong wasn’t feeling too differently, although slightly less embarrassed than Seuta. He relentlessly continued to scold Baekhyun, demanding that he didn’t act so cute all the time. He hated that Seuta got to see that side of him so frequently.

_“Just admit it.”_ Baekhyun eventually responded to Boseong, tired of listening to him bicker in his mind, _“You like Seuta.”_

_“How many times must I tell you?”_ Boseong snapped back at him, _“I hate Seuta. And you should as well. He was a curse on my existence, and he continues to haunt me even in my next life.”_

_“I don’t think that’s true. It was just an unfortunate circumstance. Please try to let go of the past.”_ Baekhyun pleaded, realizing that his hopes of their mended relationship after sharing their stories with each other was far from coming true.

_“That’s easy for you to say. You never had to go through anything like that. The past is nothing more than a story to you, but that was my whole life.”_

_“Well…This is my life now…and things are different.”_ Baekhyun answered softly, honestly feeling sorry for his past self, _“Sehun is a kind person, whether or not you want to believe that. And he’s my husband. I’m happy being intimate with him.”_

Boseong went quiet, having no argument to that statement. It was true that his time was over, that he had no right controlling how Baekhyun’s life went. He was merely just a forgotten memory from the past. 

The sudden silence worried Baekhyun a bit, but he was unable to continue their conversation once he heard their guide call out to them. They needed to start heading back before the sun went down. After gathering up their lunch, Sehun helped Baekhyun get back on his horse before climbing on his own.  
  
  


———————

After getting back from their ride, there wasn’t much time left before dinner was going to be served. Before they ate though, they wanted to wash off. Baekhyun urged Sehun to go first, and Sehun was about to agree before he realized a better arrangement could be made. Seuta was verbally upset with his plan, but Sehun ignored him once again.

“Why don’t we just shower together?” Sehun offered, smiling at Baekhyun nervously.

Baekhyun went stiff, feeling hot as the blood went rushing to his cheeks, “Oh…Yeah…Sure.”

Baekhyun remained petrified in the bedroom as he watched Sehun leave to go start the water. He took a few deep breaths, reaching for his clothes to start removing them. He wanted to go as quickly as possible, preferring to get undressed while Sehun was gone. The thought of undressing in front of him was too embarrassing for him to handle.

To his surprise, Boseong didn’t make a fuss about the idea. It seemed that he was choosing to stay silent after the conversation they had. Although Baekhyun preferred not being yelled it, he was still worried that Boseong might have been upset. 

Once Baekhyun finished getting undressed, he went to join Sehun in the bathroom. He discovered that Sehun was already in the shower, and he watched him for a moment through the glass. He couldn’t see him very well, because of the steam fogging up the glass, but he was able to make out that Sehun was scrubbing his hair. Gulping nervously, Baekhyun felt his heart start racing as he went towards the shower as well.

Stepping inside, Baekhyun tried his best not to stare directly at Sehun’s naked body, and looked down at the floor instead. Listening to the running water, the splashing from Sehun’s arms moving around came to a stop, and Baekhyun could tell that Sehun must have stopped moving.

“What’s wrong?” Sehun asked with an amused tone in his voice, “Too embarrassed to look at me?”

At first Baekhyun felt incredibly flustered by the observation, but then he realized it was out of Sehun’s character to ever say anything like that to him. Raising his eyes slowly in fear, he learned he was right. It wasn’t Sehun anymore.

Seuta smiled, enjoying the terrified expression growing on Baekhyun’s face. He could see Baekhyun’s chest rising and falling rapidly with air, and he swore he even noticed Baekhyun tremble a little. It felt satisfying, that he was able to cause that reaction from Baekhyun with nothing more than his presence. Reaching forward, he placed one of his arms on the wall, blocking Baekhyun in case he tried to get back out of the shower.

Baekhyun huddled in the corner, immobilized by his fear and the vision of Sehun’s strong physique dripping with water. Even just staring at Seuta’s face, he looked irresistibly handsome in that moment, water trickling down his skin until it followed the sharp curve of his jawline.

Baekhyun jolted a little once he felt Seuta touch his waist with his other hand, running his fingers along his skin as he continued smiling at him playfully. Moving up and down, he caressed Baekhyun’s side slowly, making Baekhyun tremble again from his touch.

“You’re so shy, you haven’t moved your eyes from my face yet. Don’t you want to look?”

Baekhyun let out a weak breath, feeling as if his soul had just left his body, his face turning bright red in embarrassment. He remained still, staring into Seuta’s eyes as he felt his heart pounding.

“You’d be too embarrassed to look when it’s Sehun right?” Seuta continued in a deep voice, getting increasingly closer to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun couldn’t get any further away, and panic washed over him as Seuta pressed their bodies together, his face sinking into the nape of Baekhyun’s neck. Baekhyun’s heart wrenched as he felt Seuta place his lips on his skin, kissing him lightly. He continued to press wet kisses on his neck, moving upward until he reached Baekhyun’s ear, whispering to him quietly.

“Now is your chance, Sehun isn’t here.”  
  


_Look in the mirror!_

Baekhyun heard Boseong frantically shout, as if to offer him an escape. Without much thought, Baekhyun decided it was a good idea. Looking past Seuta’s large body, he tried to peer out of the shower at the mirror in the bathroom, but the glass was clouded with steam. Inconspicuously reaching for the shower door through the gap in Seuta’s arm, Baekhyun wiped off a small section of steam to get a clear view. When his eyes met his own in his reflection, Baekhyun’s senses started to fade, still feeling the press of Seuta’s kisses on his neck.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Boseong yelled, shoving Seuta away from himself.

Seuta stumbled backwards, slipping a little on the wet surface of the tub before catching himself. He smirked once he noticed the difference in Baekhyun’s appearance, and let out a small laugh.

“Did Baekhyun let you take over?”

“Obviously.” Boseong glared at him, reaching up to wipe off his neck.

Seuta sighed, disappointed that his plan was cut short, “I’ll have to be more careful next time.”

“Are you seriously trying to seduce me?” Boseong huffed in anger, honestly surprised that Seuta would go that far to win.

“I don’t need to seduce you if you already like me. I’m just trying to prove that you enjoy it.”

“Well Baekhyun doesn’t like it, clearly.” Boseong lied, knowing that Baekhyun’s feelings about the situation were a little different, “So you’re wrong about that.”

“I don’t think so.” Seuta replied confidently, bending his neck forward to allow the hot water to run down his back, “Sure, he’s afraid of _me_ , but I’m still Sehun.”

Boseong watched Seuta in silence, not bothering to respond as he become more focused on another issue. Wet and naked, he was getting increasingly cold, unable to feel the comforting warmth of the running water. Goosebumps began to appear on his skin, and he wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to endure the discomfort. But it seemed like Seuta had no plans of sharing the water as he started to scrub himself, and Boseong was getting impatient. He would have shoved Seuta again, but in terms of physical strength, he knew there was no longer a point in fighting with him. Now that his Astral powers were gone, he was no match for Seuta. If he had a sword things might be different, but unarmed he didn’t stand much of a chance.

Stepping forward, he stood close beside Seuta, their bodies making contact as he put his head under the water as well. Seuta opened his eyes to look down at him, surprised to feel Boseong’s body pressed against him. It honestly hadn’t occurred to him that Boseong might be getting cold, but it became clear once he realized Boseong wasn’t trying to do anything else other than getting dowsed in the water as well. Seuta decided to let it be, and allowed Boseong to stay beside him as they both enjoyed the warmth of the water.

Unlike Baekhyun, Boseong wasn’t shy about staring at Seuta’s body. He had already glanced at his entire physique a few times at this point. It bothered him, how perfect Seuta’s body was. There wasn’t one thing to ridicule about his appearance, as much as Boseong would like to. Instead, it was Boseong who was left feeling insecure. Not only was Seuta stronger than him, he was physically superior to him as well, at least in Boseong’s eyes. Whether it was the difference in their height or the size of certain attributes, Boseong felt inferior in every way.

“Listen.” Boseong broke the silence as he glared up at Seuta, their eyes meeting each other, “This vacation we’re on right now…I never had the chance to experience something like this before. It’s peaceful and relaxing. I want to enjoy it. So can we make a truce?”

“A truce?” Seuta repeated curiously, “Just while we’re here?”

“Yes, I promise I won’t try to pull anything, even if I take over.”

Seuta shifted his eyes away from Boseong as he thought about it, continuing to scrub his body, “Fine, sounds good to me. I won’t do anything else for now either.”

They went quiet again, both of them just trying to enjoy their time while it lasted, even if it was something as small as a hot shower. But to their surprise, their ability to stay in control was lasting much longer than usual. They hadn’t even begun to feel their power fade yet.

“…You’re not feeling weak yet either?” Seuta eventually asked.

“No, it’s longer right? We usually lose control at this point.”

“Yeah…I wonder if we’re getting stronger?”

Boseong thought about it, feeling like it was the only logical explanation as well. After all, when Baekhyun was a small baby, Boseong’s consciousness hadn’t really awakened yet. Over time, he gradually regained his senses and was able to talk to Baekhyun. It seemed that a similar rule applied to this as well. His presence was getting stronger by the day.

“We must be.”

A wave of happiness swelled inside both of them. It was precious to spend any amount of time being in the physical world again instead of just watching their future lives unfold. The longer they got to be in control the better, at least for them. Sehun and Baekhyun would have found this fact to be very troubling. 

Seuta let out a relaxing sigh, enjoying the shower even more now that he knew he had extra time. Rinsing off, he couldn’t help smiling to himself, thinking of all the things he’d like to try now that he had the chance. Boseong contemplated the possibilities as well, thinking mostly about food he wanted to eat on his own. Although he had experienced the world through Baekhyun’s eyes, vicariously enjoying the taste and smells of food, it was still different to actually eating it himself.

Time passed slowly as they relaxed in the water, and Seuta’s mind wandered from possibilities for the future to his memories of the past. The story he heard about Boseong was still lingering in his mind. There were still a few things that had gone unanswered.

“I wanted to ask you…” Seuta spoke in a heavy tone as he stared down at Boseong again, “About the fire at my camp.”

Boseong glanced up at him, waiting for him to continue. He watched the sadness grow in Seuta’s eyes as he reflected on the memories of that night. Even though Boseong heard how important his friends were to him during his story, it became more obvious just how much they meant to him by looking at his expression.

“Did you order the ambush?”

“Not specifically. My orders never changed since the day we met. My men were to bring you to me, at whatever the cost. But your pack of bandits were a threat to the safety of my people, regardless of their involvement with you. Any dangerous criminals were treated like such.”

Anger started brewing in Seuta’s eyes, his furious expression making even Boseong cower, “Dangerous criminals? And what exactly did we do to earn that title?”

“What do you mean? You were thieves.” Boseong replied as he tried his best to keep his calm composure, “Do you deny it?”

“Thieves maybe, but we were just doing our best to survive in the only way we could. All of us were banished, for reasons we had little or no control over, by none other than your father. Exiled to a pitiful plot of land that couldn’t even grow crops. Stealing was our only option, but we had our own rules. We never harmed anyone, at least not innocent civilians. We only fought in protection of ourselves.”

Boseong watched as tears began to build in Seuta’s eyes, his enraged expression remaining as he continued speaking through clenched teeth, “There was no reason to kill them. They were good people.”

Boseong went quiet, keeping his eyes on Seuta’s face. For the first time he realized just how privileged and ignorant he was. It never occurred to him that Seuta’s companions or any pack of thieves for that matter might have been forced into that lifestyle. Although he was aware a starving person was likely to steal to survive, he assumed bandits were different. Just lowlifes that refused to earn their keep by dignified means.

“…That may be so…and my father may have been a terrible man…But he was a good father to me, and I still loved him. I cannot apologize to you unless you apologize to me as well.”

“I will never apologize for killing him.” Seuta answered, swallowing deeply to bury his tears.

Before Boseong could respond, a sudden feeling of weariness came over them. They could tell it was finally time. Breaking their gaze with each other, they waited for the moment, too angry to continue speaking anyway. Knowing that they would most likely faint like previous times, they stabled themselves by sitting down, facing away from each other. 

They both fell forward slightly as Baekhyun and Sehun returned, but they were able to catch themselves. Taking a moment to readjust to the situation, their location reminded them of what they were previously doing. Turning their heads, their eyes met, and a blush appeared on both their cheeks.

“Did we switch again?”

“Yeah…Seuta was in the shower when I got in.” Baekhyun explained, nervously remembering the incident.

Sehun stood up, extending his hand to help Baekhyun get up as well, “Did anything happen? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Baekhyun answered after thinking to himself for a moment, wondering how they ended up sitting down together.

Looking up without much thought, Baekhyun’s face turned even more red once he finally got a look at Sehun’s body. Lowering his eyes in embarrassment, he reached for Sehun’s hand as he tried to stand as well. Despite no longer looking at him, Baekhyun couldn’t stop picturing his body in his mind. He really couldn’t believe how perfect his husband was. In his secret thoughts, he thanked whatever power or being brought him and Sehun together.

“Well I’m glad nothing bad happened. It doesn’t seem like we need to worry too much. I don’t think they’re going to hurt each other or anything, at least it seems like it. I wonder what they were doing…”

“Me too.” Baekhyun responded shyly, staring at the wall as he stayed under the water with Sehun.

Going quiet, Sehun kept his eyes on Baekhyun, taking the opportunity to admire his husband’s appearance while he still wasn’t looking. Finding himself extremely attracted to every part of Baekhyun’s body, he wanted to kiss him again, to hold him close and feel their skin pressed together. But he resisted, feeling like that would be too much. The situation was difficult to approach. After their kiss earlier that day, instead of becoming more comfortable with their intimacy, it actually felt like things had gotten more awkward between them. 

“Here, let me wash your back.” Sehun offered, smiling at Baekhyun warmly.

Baekhyun met eyes with Sehun again, smiling at him as well, “Thank you.”

Turning around, Baekhyun relaxed as he felt Sehun scrub his back lightly. Enjoying the message, he wished taking a shower together would become a common thing for them. But to this, Boseong had to disagree, throwing a fit about the idea. Although Baekhyun should have been annoyed, he was honestly happy Boseong was talking again. He smiled to himself as he listened to Boseong continue ranting. It made him wonder if Seuta actually made Boseong feel better again.


End file.
